Privacy Considerations When Using Smartphone Location Data To

Apr 23, 2020 0 Replies
Privacy Considerations When Using Smartphone Location Data To open original image

by Sina Kazemi , J. Sébastien Gittens , Stephen D. Burns , Ruth Promislow and Michael Whitt



As countries around the world continue their efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), governments are increasingly turning to technology to enforce "social distancing" rules and related measures designed to contain the spread of the virus. For example:


  • In Italy, Germany and Austria, telecommunications companies are now sharing smartphone location data with governments to monitor whether individuals are complying with self-isolation rules;


  • In Israel, the government is using location data to trace the movement of individuals who have contracted COVID-19 and identifying people who should be quarantined as a result of close contact; and

  • In Canada, the Government of Alberta recently indicated that it plans to implement location-tracking measures to enforce quarantine orders.

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