The Panopticon

Moscow coronavirus app raises privacy concerns

Moscow’s police will soon ask citizens to show them a QR code to prove they have permission to go out. Moscow is launching an app to track the movements of people in the capital diagnosed with coronavirus, who have been ordered to stay at home.

The NHS is planning the same kind of thing, track who you have been in contact with, just in case you become infected.

Governments all over the world are planning something similar or have implemented it already.

For people to lose faith in the government and health authorities at this time, through being subjected to intrusive and unnecessary surveillance, will only serve to damage efforts to fight this virus.

This is such a fine line.

Reports from China, having the tracker show a green badge on your phone, is required for you to use all kinds of public services.

In one press report someone suggested the NHS tracking app could be used for ordering food.

The next step would be needing the app to have access to food.

Paranoia aside, this is such a slippery slope.

As far as I understand, without ubiquitous testing, the epidemiological benefit of such tracking just does not exist.

Even if you fear the solution more than the disease, this will be presented logically as the way out of lockdown.

We are all doomed!