Innovation under pressure: Implications for data privacy during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The global Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in social and economic disruption unprecedented in the modern era. Many countries have introduced severe measures to contain the virus, including travel restrictions, public event bans, non-essential business closures and remote work policies. While digital technologies help governments and organizations to enforce protection measures, such as contact tracing, their rushed deployment and adoption also raises profound concerns about surveillance, privacy and data protection. This article presents two critical cases on digital surveillance technologies implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic and delineates the privacy implications thereof. We explain the contextual nature of privacy trade-offs during a pandemic and explore how regulatory and technical responses are needed to protect privacy in such circumstances. By providing a multi-disciplinary conversation on the value of privacy and data protection during a global pandemic, this article reflects on the implications digital solutions have for the future and raises the question of whether there is a way to have expedited privacy assessments that could anticipate and help mitigate adverse privacy implications these may have on society.

Do Privacy Concerns About Social Robots Affect Use Intentions? Evidence From an Experimental Vignette Study

“…Moreover, the data MIMO collects is stored more securely and locally. By contrast, MIMO in the high privacy risk scenario is not e-privacy certified and does not comply with US and European privacy law (compliance with privacy laws is not a condition for market entrance but suppliers that violate privacy laws risk facing steep fines, Newlands et al, 2020 ). In this scenario, MIMO is more privacy-invasive, for example, by being switched on by default and performing additional analyses on the users' voice.…”

Privacy Concerns Over the Use of Webcams in Online Medical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The introduction of software programs such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams has highlighted many concerns for privacy and data security. One of the privacy concerns has been the many instances of “Zoom-bombing”, an instance where a person with ill-intent, most often a stranger, joins the Zoom session and disrupts the session by use of expletives or abusive language [ 26 ]. This is not just limited to Zoom but also other video-conferencing programs that provide similar services.…”

A Literature Review on the GDPR, COVID-19 and the Ethical Considerations of Data Protection During a Time of Crisis

“…However, there are explicit mentions in the GDPR provisions (such as Recitals 46 and 52) which state that certain types of processing of special category data are allowed on grounds of serving both the public interest, as well as the interests of data subject, for the purposes of humanitarian actions and disease prevention. These examples therefore evidence that Regulation makes room for and provides leeway for national instruments and organisations to handle data in situations comparable to the pandemic at hand [ 7 13 21 ].…”

“…A review of commentary and literature also notes the issues of rushed innovation and decision for the adoption of pre-existing technologies which has been criticised for creating new vulnerabilities in privacy and data protection [ 17 ]. These remarks on fast innovation in time-sensitive situations however act as a double edged sword, as at times its necessary to waive high regulatory standards to address the need for a solution which may result in the rushed deployment of solutions which do not fully comply with the data protection principles, as would for example the processing of data for research and scientific purposes [ 13 17 ]. This indeed has identified a gap in data protection rules and supports the argument for an ongoing evaluation of oversight by the relevant data protection bodies.…”