Following Margaret Atwood's comments that the response to Covid-19 does not amount to "deliberate totalitarianism” we wrote an open letter to her in response, agreeing with her but noting that we may be sleepwalking into a dystopia created by accident rather than design.
Marking International Health Day amidst a global pandemic gives us a chance to reflect on how we are responding to Covid-19 through the use of data and technology.
Companies all over the world are pitching data products, services & solutions to Coronavirus - from big tech to companies that might not be household names but PI has long challenged for their exploitative data practices. Here we set out examples and the key points for companies to consider.
Those in a vulnerable situation - including human rights defenders - are not necessarily in a safer position during lockdown or quarantine measures due to greater exposure to the threats they are already facing, or due to their own activities.
Quarantining is a significant interference with rights, which is why it is only recommended to be done under the advisement of health professionals. Using tech and data to do this can be particularly problematic.
Considering the billions of people who have smart phones generally use apps on these devices, it's possible to reach people and draw extensive data from their devices.
Telecommunications firms, including mobile operators, have extensive data on their customers, including location and contact data -- they and governments are keen to exploit this data.
Tech companies, governments, and international agencies have all announced measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Unprecedented levels of surveillance, data exploitation, and misinformation are being tested across the world.
The future of identity systems is being shaped by the UN's Legal Identity Task Force, which has opportunities for a positive influence, yet severe risks remain.
Universities in the UK and China, the Met Police, and surveillance companies are working on a government-funded programme developing "unconstrained face recognition technology".
Facebook "Download Your Information" feature only gives you part of the picture. Information about advertisers uploading lists with your personal information is limited in time and prevents users from exercising their rights
Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, issued his opinions on how he believes the Court should rule on vital questions relating to European national security mass retention regimes. All three regimes in question were in his opinion incompatible.
Maddie Stone, formally a Senior reverse engineer and tech lead on the Android security team, shockingly revealed a number of examples of how pre-installed apps on Android devices can undermine users privacy and security in her BlackHat USA talk in August 2019. The video of the talk only recently became available to the public in late December 2019.
