id=”article-body” class=”row” section=”article-body”> Privacy protections around the world are getting lifted during the coronavirus outbreak. James Martin/CNET For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website. As the coronavirus pandemic gets worse, privacy commissioners are lifting data restrictions for health officials to keep track of the outbreak. A review of policy changes around the world shows that data protection agencies are prioritizing lives over privacy, and it could be a sign of what’s to come for the US.
In Hong Kong, the city’s privacy commissioner said in February that authorities would track quarantined people with their permission via smartphone tracking. In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office gave an advisory on enforcement as recently as March 12. The Global Privacy Assembly, a group of more than 130 data protection authorities, noted changes surrounding data privacy brought on by the pandemic in at least 27 countries. The organization said it’s committed to making sure people’s data is not abused. “We are confident that data protection requirements will not stop the critical sharing of information to support efforts to tackle this global pandemic,” the GPA’s executive committee said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The universal data protection principles in all our laws will enable the use of data in the public interest and still provide the protections the public expects.” Coronavirus updates Tokyo Olympics officially postponed to 2021 The best free stuff while you’re stuck at home Commentary: Coronavirus isn’t a ‘Chinese virus’ no matter what Trump says Coronavirus updates: Trump says US will be open ‘soon,’ UK on lockdown The changes to guidelines have varied across countries, but a clear trend has emerged.
In regions where conditions are worst, officials are focusing on public health over privacy. That’s led some governments to use phone location data to track the coronavirus’ spread and decide on how to quarantine communities affected by COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. The method, used in China and South Korea, has been lauded as successful. The World Health Organization has discussed HOW TO COOK RICE public health surveillance can provide an early warning for outbreaks and allow for effective policies. At a media briefing on March 16, the WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said there needed to be more technological measures for tracking the coronavirus outbreak. “We haven’t seen an urgent enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing, which is the backbone of the COVID-19 response,” he said.
“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected.” But the tracking carries privacy risks because location data can reveal a lot of sensitive information about our lives. The US is considering similar measures and could rely on data collected by Facebook, Google and other companies. That’s raised concerns among some legislators, including Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts. CNET Coronavirus Update Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike many countries, the US doesn’t have a sole office tasked with data privacy issues.
Still, government agencies are altering privacy standards to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was waiving penalties for violations related to health data privacy standards so more doctors could video chat with patients.