Security News > 2020 > March > Should governments track your location to fight COVID-19?

Should governments track your location to fight COVID-19?
2020-03-30 12:00

This weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that US government officials are using location data from millions of cellphones to understand citizens' movements and how they're affecting the spread of the disease.

Other countries are taking a soft approach to using location data for the public good.

The UK is said to have joined Germany, Austria, Spain, Belgium, and others in Europe to source anonymised location data directly from telcos.

Governments are using the data to determine how much people are moving around and congregating, according to reports.

What do you think about the use of location tracking data to help combat the spread of COVID-19, and to monitor self-isolation practices during the outbreak? Should this be mandatory? If it saves just one life, isn't it worthwhile?


News URL

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/30/should-governments-track-your-location-to-fight-covid-19/