Coronavirus: Thread

[grarpamp]

> Australia, barely one step better than the US shithole,
> quietly wishes to Ankle Monitor GPS Track home-quarantiners...


Facial Recognition Apps For Home Quarantine A "Privacy Disaster"

https://www.theepochtimes.com/facial-recognition-apps-for-home-quarantine-a-privacy-disaster-report_4043971.html

https://www.theepochtimes.com/wa-polices-access-to-covid-tracing-data-put-under-lock-and-key_3863978.html
https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/facial-recognition-for-home-quarantine-is-a-recipe-for-privacy-disaster/
https://www.theepochtimes.com/australian-state-to-use-geolocation-and-live-face-recognition-quarantine-app_3979677.html

A new report from the left-leaning Australia Institute’s Centre for
Responsible Technology has warned state-level governments to avoid
crossing into “new frontiers” of citizen surveillance following the
increasing adoption of home quarantine apps in the country.

Currently, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria are
trialling such apps, which use geolocation and facial recognition
technology to help monitor compliance with COVID-19 quarantine
measures. For example, over 97,000 residents have already used Western
Australia’s home quarantine app, the G2G pass.

The report called on state governments to “regain the public’s trust”
after police (in Queensland and Western Australia) were caught
accessing data collected in COVID-19 contact tracing apps to assist in
investigations.

“It is important to learn the lessons of recent history and not allow
moments of global crisis, like the pandemic, to reshape the way
surveillance technology is used,” Peter Lewis, director of the Centre
for Responsible Technology, said in a press release on Oct. 11.

    “Twenty years ago, the world responded to 9/11 and the threat of
terror by forcing technology companies to access the search history of
their users, something that had never been contemplated before.

    “Once this increased degree of surveillance was normalised, it was
adopted by corporations like Google and Facebook to track users and to
target ads, and by governments around the world to control their
citizens.

A child uses an Apple smartphone in this undated file image (PA)

    “While it is important to get quarantine models right, the idea
that facial recognition technology should be the primary monitoring
tool for home quarantine should be treated with real scepticism,” he
said.

Lewis called on governments to recognise the deficiencies in facial
recognition technology and the risks it posed to privacy rights.

The report stated that the increasing use of surveillance technology
globally to monitor compliance was a “troubling trend” and warned of
the “normalisation of surveillance culture.”

It noted that while home quarantine was a preferred option over hotel
quarantine—which can be costly and demanding on individuals—it was
unclear whether governments had considered the full implications of
using such technology, noting similar concerns with vaccine passport
apps.

“The most prominent case study for successful use of facial
recognition to combat the pandemic comes from China, which should be
taken with a grain of salt given the country’s history of privacy
abuses,” the report stated.

The Centre recommended that facial recognition be limited to
single-use and for there to be precise expiration dates for any data
collected. Further, the group called on state governments to update
laws to cover facial recognition and stronger human rights
protections.

South Australia’s home quarantine app, Quarantine SA, is set to become
the national model once trials are deemed successful.

Residents entering home quarantine are required to download the app
and will need to “check-in” with the app at random intervals during
their quarantine period of two weeks.

Users have just 15 minutes to respond to a random check-in
notification (in Western Australia, this is just five minutes) by
scanning their faces.

If they miss a scan, they will receive a follow-up phone call from the
Home Quarantine SA team to discuss the reason why. If the individual
misses the phone call, a compliance officer may be sent to the
approved address to check on their situation.