The pandemic surveillance state: an enduring legacy of COVID-19

Abstract

Containing the spread of pandemic transmission tends to go hand in hand with a surveillance regime that tracks movement, transmission and those who contract the virus or disease. An enduring legacy of the COVID-19 crisis will be the incremental development of surveillance technologies, ostensibly purposed to identify the threat and spread of a pandemic, giving birth to what amounts to the pandemic surveillance state. Whether this is seen as an undesirable outcome depends very much on the field of expertise and the relevant slant. Health professionals and epidemiologists favor more surveillance; privacy and data security advocates fear a further denuding of protections. This paper examines the dangers of such technologies and efforts to seek a middle ground on app technologies designed to protect privacy. Such designs may, in time, seem more hopeful than actual.

Public Security vs Personal Privacy: Analysis of PeduliLindungi from Open Government and Surveillance State Perspectives

“…Public opinion is divided into these two blocks [18]. During the pandemic, the debate grew between groups of medical personnel and privacy & civil rights advocates [19].…”

“…Digital privacy is freedom related to the formation of digital identity in which the dissemination of related information rests with the sovereignty of the individual owner [28]. Global-scale privacy is freedom from the illegal collection of information and surveillance of citizens outside the legal limits allowed [19]. Supporters of open government emphasize that there must be aspects of transparency, collaboration, and participation in digital governance between the government and citizens.…”

Covidseeker: A Geospatial Temporal Surveillance Tool

“…CovidTrace is another app that is used to study the symptoms of COVID-19 and track the virus' local spread [8,9]. The app works by asking users to log in daily and fill out a questionnaire on their symptoms.…”

Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 62 No. 1s1 (2021): Health Technology Assessment (HTA) sull’introduzione di coorti aggiuntive per la vaccinazione contro il meningococco con vaccini quadrivalenti coniugati in Italia

“…dialogo con Dipartimento di Prevenzione [ 7 ] per accertamento di tamponi diagnostici, compresi i privati convenzionati e contact tracing in modo da poter intervenire in modo congiunto [ 8 ];…”

“…Fase di verifica [ 5 ] e formazione: elaborazione di report e analisi dei dati; briefing dopo fase operativa per attuare eventuali correttivi; formazione di tutti i coordinatori AFT dell’ASL Na1 Centro; formazione del personale della rete Spoke USCA. Punti critici o di forza se ben strutturati: la collaborazione dei MMG come gatekeeper [ 6 ] del paziente e coordinamento nella rete AFT; dialogo con Dipartimento di Prevenzione [ 7 ] per accertamento di tamponi diagnostici, compresi i privati convenzionati e contact tracing in modo da poter intervenire in modo congiunto [ 8 ]; tempi di sanificazione dei presidi riutilizzati (kit monitoraggio ad esempio). …”