COVID-19 Digital Rights Tracker

Stopspying

Level 19
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jan 21, 2018
814
"Since the outbreak of COVID-19, governments around the world have implemented a range of digital tracking, physical surveillance and censorship measures in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Some of these may well be proportionate, necessary and legitimate during these unprecedented times. However, others have been rushed through legislative bodies and implemented without adequate scrutiny. "


The following spreadsheet gets updated as steps taken by countries are disclosed.

 

Kermit80

Level 1
Mar 29, 2020
33
I just found out today google installed a COVID-19 Exposer Notifications to my Android. It appears to use Bluetooth. On Android go to settings, Google and you will see it there.
ON Iphone go to settings, privacy, health.

Exposure Notification - Wikipedia

"[Exposure Notification] is designed to be implemented as an opt-in feature within COVID-19 apps developed and published by authorized health authorities"
 
F

ForgottenSeer 69673

So they have a data base of those who have been infected? Otherwise how would the app know? Not sure I like it.
 
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Arequire

Level 29
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Feb 10, 2017
1,815
So they have a data base of those who have been infected? Otherwise how would the app know? Not sure I like it.
If by "they" you mean Google, then no. A code is generated by the app after you agree to contract tracing. The code is stored locally on your device and neither Google, Apple or your government has access to this code. The code itself is unique but anonymous and isn't linked to any identifiable data.
If you test positive for Covid, you'll be asked for permission to upload your code to the relevant government authority. Said authority flag your code as infectious, and when your code is exchanged with others they'll be notified that they've come into contact with an infected person.
 
Last edited:

Ink

Administrator
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361
So they have a data base of those who have been infected? Otherwise how would the app know? Not sure I like it.
Not everything from Google or Apple is tracking you, sometimes it's the government's implementations that can be more invasive. Regardless, and as far as I am aware, installing or activating it remains optional.
 

Kermit80

Level 1
Mar 29, 2020
33
Not everything from Google or Apple is tracking you, sometimes it's the government's implementations that can be more invasive. Regardless, and as far as I am aware, installing or activating it remains optional.

Google+Apple's code comes installed with Android and iOS updates but it doesn't work alone and, at least on iOS (I don't know about Android), you need to manually enable the notification service. That code make APIs available to health authorities notification apps that, hopefully, should be optional (in my country it is).
 
Last edited:

Ink

Administrator
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361
I just found out today google installed a COVID-19 Exposer Notifications to my Android. It appears to use Bluetooth. On Android go to settings, Google and you will see it there.
ON Iphone go to settings, privacy, health.
Additional info... It doesn't do anything.

 

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