The measures have often been billed as temporary necessities rushed into place to help track infections, but governments have been accused of denting civil rights with the widespread use of techniques such as phone monitoring, contact tracing apps, and physical surveillance such as CCTV with facial recognition. Top10VPN, a pro-digital privacy website that reviews secure internet connection software, has maintained a database since March of digital and physical surveillance measures implemented to fight the virus.
As of Wednesday, it showed digital tracking was in use in 35 countries, with contact tracing apps in at least 28 countries, half of which use GPS location data. Meanwhile, more than half of the apps do not disclose how long users’ data is stored. “The number of countries using digital tracking and physical surveillance technologies has steadily risen,” said Samuel Woodhams, the website’s digital rights lead. “There are few countries on Earth that haven’t implemented increased surveillance during the pandemic.” -Full Report
Agonizing over whether to take COVID-19 test? Soon your phone will tell you
