U.S. lawmaker says any COVID-19 contact tracing tech should be voluntary
and limited
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[April 23, 2020]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator
Edward Markey, a Democrat and online privacy advocate, said in a letter
released Wednesday that any digital coronavirus contact tracing should
be voluntary, transparent and collect only the information needed to
identify who might be at risk of contracting the respiratory ailment
that has killed more than 45,000 people in the United States.
Markey urged President Donald Trump's administration to balance public
health needs as states seek to allow businesses to reopen their doors
with the privacy rights of individuals who may be monitored.
Alphabet's Google and Apple said recently they were collaborating on
technology to create smartphone apps that would help identify people who
have crossed paths with a contagious person and alert them.
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"The federal government must provide leadership, coordination, and
guidance to ensure that contact tracing efforts are effective and do not
infringe upon individuals' civil liberties, including the right to
privacy," Markey wrote in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence.
Markey urged that any contact tracing be limited to what is needed to
track disease exposure, include investment in public health, and be
voluntary, subject to enforceable rules and transparent about what data
is collected and what happens to it.
He urged that a minimum of data be collected and that it be kept
securely and discarded in a timely fashion.
Markey's concerns echoed those of fellow Democratic Senator Richard
Blumenthal, who has said that the companies face a "rightfully skeptical
public" when it comes to privacy.
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![](../images/042320pics/news_w41.jpg)
Senator Edward Markey questions government transportation officials
on aviation safety after two fatal Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft
crashes, during a hearing by the Senate Commerce subcommittee on
Transportation and Safety on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March
27, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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Republican Senator Josh Hawley, a frequent critic of the Big Tech
companies, sent a letter on Tuesday to Google's chief executive,
Sundar Pichai, and Apple CEO Tim Cook to demand that they be liable
for any privacy lapses in contract tracing.
"If you seek to assure the public, make your stake in this project
personal," Hawley wrote. "Make a commitment that you and other
executives will be personally liable if you stop protecting privacy,
such as by granting advertising companies access to the interface
once the pandemic is over."
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Previously, they have said that "privacy, transparency, and consent
are of utmost importance." The companies have said that the
technology - planned to be released in mid-May - would not track
users' locations but their interactions, that interactions would be
anonymized and nothing would be monetized.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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