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Virus 'tracing' by smartphone: a key to reopening society?

10 Comments
By Rob Lever

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10 Comments
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What if you don’t have a smartphone?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why on Earth are people worried about privacy?

This can track where you have been and trace the progress of corona. I would have think this an essential tool in dealing with the virus.

Anyone who bleats, "Privacy!" has something to hide. Personally I couldn't care less who knows where I've been because I haven't been anywhere I shouldn't have.

(Again! Invalid CSRF - about time this was handled!)

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

BertieWooster good for you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument

Not wanting your life known by others is a basic right. Think of the gay people in the middle east who are "thrown from the mountain" because they are gay or people under repressive govts who have something to say that the govt wouldn't like. When a govt doesn't like something, they come with guns or worse.

The privacy concerns aren't really about fighting the pandemic, but about all the other uses for the data. Keeping the data too long, and using it for other purposes.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html

and

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063

if you have nothing to hide, please start posting your daily GPS tracks on facebook, google, and here. After all, you have nothing to hide. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-16/metadata-retention-privacy-phone-will-ockenden/6694152 This guy did and was surprised at what the data analysis uncovered.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What if you don’t have a smartphone?

"Moscow To Launch Mandatory Surveillance App and Facial Recognition To Track Residents In Coronavirus Lockdown"

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/04/02/1958259/moscow-to-launch-mandatory-surveillance-app-to-track-residents-in-coronavirus-lockdown

But starting Thursday, Muscovites will have their movements tracked through a mandatory app required on their smartphones. Don't have one? The city says it will lend out devices.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sadly, there's no way we can avoid those contact tracing apps. Mainstream media are pushing the idea they are essential for stopping the virus. They speak about how much successful were Countries like South Korea and Taiwan that used them. South Korea just held the elections...look at the photo in this article:

http://english.chosun.com/m/svc/article.html?contid=2020041601474

How can you call THAT social distance? But apparently they can do everything they want, thanks to the contact tracing system...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@theFu: many people think that only Russia and China can violate human rights. If the West and pro-west Countries use the same systems, they think it's impossible any kind of violation can happen.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

No thanks.

Let’s have more testing and more public hygiene announcements and education.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm more afraid of the US any-privacy actions than any others. The 5-eyes or 9-eyes or 13-eye countries are almost as bad, but the western govts don't usually hold the data. Those govts have private companies holding the data until it is needed and the private companies can refuse any govt request for the data using the court systems. There are many occasions where this happens AND the govt is denied.

We never hear about Chinese or Russian companies refusing to comply w/ orders by their govts and getting away with that refusal. Of course, if there are any examples, I'd love to see some proof.

Americans are taught to never trust their govt, especially when things seem good. The longest that a representative is in office between elections is 6 yrs. Some are 4 and others are 2, so there is always a chance for someone who isn't a criminal to be thrown out by the voters. Of course, all voting and campaign rules have flaws and western countries don't have ideal voting solutions by any means.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

With Corona Virus, you get to die alone - not even your Family can be with you. Private enough ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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