Data protection vital in digital tracking to combat Covid-19
DIGITAL tracking of people to combat the spread of Covid-19 must have public confidence that it is being done in a legal, secure and accountable manner to succeed.
Bailiwick data protection commissioner Emma Martins acknowledged the role that innovative technology could play – but stressed the importance of data protection considerations for it to be effective.
‘We have seen headlines recently claiming that the key to lifting the current lockdown so many countries are experiencing is some form of digital tracking,’ she said.
‘It has been reported that NHSX (the UK health service’s technology unit) has been working with Apple and Google to use Bluetooth technology to send alerts to those who have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.’
With the local and global community desperate for things to get back to normal in a way that protected people’s wellbeing, it was ‘vital that all avenues, including innovative use of technology, are explored’.
‘It must also be the case that we do not exploit the very real fear that people are feeling at this difficult time to push through developments that do not have proper governance and protections built in from the beginning’.
She highlighted recent comments by the former director general of MI5 about the importance of public trust if governments were to use digital and data-driven surveillance.
Lord Evans set out openness, transparent legal basis, plus oversight and accountability as key.
‘When reading the level-headed logic of Evan’s comments, I was struck by how he was, essentially, describing data protection legislation.
‘It is easy, especially at times of crisis, to look at legislation such as data protection, and see it as a barrier or a distraction.’
The data protection commissioner continued: ‘But strip away the myths and misunderstandings that so often surround data protection and we are left with some simple but critical principles as set out by Lord Evans and in the data protection law itself.
‘I challenge anyone to point out any one of these requirements which seems disproportionate or unfair in this context. Ensuring we, as citizens, all understand what is being done by government and have confidence that it is being done in a lawful, secure and accountable manner will not be a barrier to effective response to this crisis, it will, I believe, prove to be a precondition to it.’
