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State surveillance & Coronavirus Pandemic
Natalia Molina BallesterApril 14th, 2020Media, Culture & Global Politics
Image credit: Dreamstime.com
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From Israel to South Korea to China,
governments around the world are using technology to track
the coronavirus outbreak.
Image Source: https://headtopics.com/2
China
Coronavirus 'close contact detector' app.
Tells users if they have been near a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected to be infected.
People identified as being at risk are advised to stay at home and inform local health authorities.
Image source: https://www.msn.com/
3More Information: NYT
South Korea The country’s heavy
use of surveillance technology, notably
CCTV and the tracking of bank card
and mobile phone usage, to identify who to test in the
first place.
Image source: http://www.asianews.it/
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More Information: NYT
These technologies are saving lives!
Are they really? 6
In the European Union, home to the world's
strictest privacy regimen, leaders asked telecoms companies to hand over mobile phone data to track population
movements and try to stop the spread.
More Information: Politico
Image source: https://www.thinkcreativ.co.uk/
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UKThe Investigatory Powers Act Bill of
2016 allows for government to take whatever data they
need from any company.
(and it can be done in secret!)
Image source: https://news.sky.com/
8More information: The Economist
Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
authorized the country’s internal
security agency to tap into people’s
phone data to trace their movements.
Image source: https://itongadol.com/
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More information: NYT
Hong Kong
Use of Whatsapp to track where people have been and to monitor how close they have been with people with COVID-19.
Image source: Vox.com
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More information: The Economist
United StatesMonitoring through telephone towers.
There isn’t an app that conducts community tracing like the ones in Singapore or China yet.
But information of where you’ve been and who you talk to is very pricesise.
Image source: https://www.milenio.com/
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12More information: The Economist
Patriot Act
After 9/11, the Patriot Act was the first of many changes to surveillance laws that made it easier for the government to spy on ordinary Americans.
Image source: https://www.eff.org/issues/patriot-act
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More Information: Wired
Even though the patriot act and did not disclose the surveillance of the American people it was revealed by Edward Snowden that the NSA and CIA were monitoring all american citizens after September 11, 2001. Image source: https://www.aclu.org/
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State Emergencies have sweeping powers.
9/11 became a paradigm shift where extraordinary circumstances allowed for a radical change in regulations.
When the state of emergency ends, many of the regulations are normalised and become regular practices.
Image source: https://www.hickorync.gov/
15More information: SHELTER IN PLACE WITH SHANE SMITH: Edward Snowden
Authoritarian Governments during the pandemic
→ Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán used his party’s parliamentary majority to secure an indefinite state of emergency.
→ The Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has also awarded himself emergency powers to silence “fake” news.
→ Chinese government expelled some foreign journalists amidst the covid-19 crisis.
16More information: The Guardian
Telecom & Tech Companies...
...too much power?
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In many countries Telecom companies had to hand in mobile phone data.
Governments argue this is only short term.
Once the pandemic is over, that information is already processed and analyzed and there is risk it will be more common to have access to private information.
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Google may well have more information about whether people are than any other
company (or government) in the world.
These companies controlling so much information might be useful now but it can endanger civil liberties once pandemic is over.
Image credit: https://www.logo.wine/
Image credit: lukeymeyer.com/
Image credit: ya-webdesign.com
Image credit: logodix.com
Image credit: https://freebiesupply.com/
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Apple and Google’s Covid Partnership
A Bluetooth-based platform that will allow apps from public health authorities to do contact tracing.
They might use this solution as a Trojan horse to propose themselves, as the default partners for governments around the world willing to digitize access to healthcare services for their citizens.
20More information: The Verge & Forbes
The Chinese model of control through social
media could become more widespread in
both democratic and autocratic
governments.
Image source: Vox.com
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If our information is closely monitored through the
platforms we use daily how are we going to form independent
decisions without being surveilled?
Image source: https://nayadaur.tv/
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The use of surveillance to fight coronavirus raises concerns about how government could use them once the pandemic ends.
Image Source: https://nypost.com/23
PrivacyDemocracy
Civil LibertiesWe are at a pivotal moment
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24More information: SHELTER IN PLACE WITH SHANE SMITH: Edward Snowden
Moments of crisis also bring opportunities for
transformation.
The coronavirus pandemic will bring change into our world. But in the long run we should consider what aspects about our society
we want to protect and what we should advocate
for.
What can we do? → Try to use a wide range of services and be aware of how you use your browser, email and social media pages.
→ Understand how your information can be used and how companies process your data.
→ Play close attention to everything you write and say online. (But don’t silence yourself!)
→ Privacy is a human right. Going forward try to elect leaders who will create regulations that protects your online footprint.
Image source: https://www.istockphoto.com/ 25
1. Do you think that emergency powers that are born out of crisis have a perfect history of abuse?
2. Do you think telecommunication and tech companies have too much control over our information?
(a) Until when do these technologies outlast the purpose of saving lives?
3. What role do you think the media plays in informing us about surveillance and the use of technology during the pandemic?
4. If our information is always exposed and we have no privacy rights... Do you think that the lines between democracies and autocratic regimes are becoming more blurred? Image source: RedBubble
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Thank you!
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Sources:https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-surveillance-used-by-governments-to-fight-pandemic-privacy-concerns.html
https://www.politico.eu/article/coroanvirus-covid19-surveillance-data/
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0325/1126396-mobile-giants-agree-to-share-location-data-with-eu/
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216484/google-apple-coronavirus-contract-tracing-bluetooth-location-tracking-data-app?fbclid=IwAR2abxOWliuxWH1O38u4wjsolvP7DBcIKIsRgLVn9DRPtlwEkhd3jH4veCA
https://www.businessinsider.com/alibaba-coronavirus-chinese-app-quarantine-color-code-2020-3?r=MX&IR=T
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/03/26/countries-are-using-apps-and-data-networks-to-keep-tabs-on-the-pandemic
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-surveillance-tracking-privacy.html
https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/edward-snowden/5e8e95b4a33be07ff249ae3e28
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-04-10/apple-google-partnership-on-covid-fight-is-huge
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/coronavirus-is-a-chance-for-authoritarian-leaders-to-tighten-their-grip
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51439401
https://thenextweb.com/apps/2020/02/11/coronavirus-app-detector/
https://www.wired.com/2011/09/911-surveillance/
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-surveillance-used-by-governments-to-fight-pandemic-privacy-concerns.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-surveillance-tracking-privacy.html
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