With numbers of COVID-19 infections soaring again in the United States and around the world, we have to learn how to manage its long-term ramifications for our economies. As people adjust to minimizing the risk of infections in everyday settings,… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘COVID-19 and Digital Rights’
Exposure Notification Technology is Ready for Its Closeup
Since this COVID-19 crisis began people have looked to technology to assist in contact tracing and notification. Technology will never be a silver bullet to solve a deeply human crisis, even if it might assist. No app will work absent widespread… Read More ›
COVID-19 Tracking Technology Will Not Save Us
Technology may be part of the solution to stopping the spread of COVID-19, but apps alone will not save us. As more states develop COVID exposure notification apps, institutions and the people they serve should remain skeptical and remember the… Read More ›
California Must Recognize That Privacy is Vital to Public Health Efforts
Californians have a constitutional right to privacy. There is no more important time to protect that right to privacy than during a crisis, such as the current pandemic. That is why EFF, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of… Read More ›
No to Expanded HHS Surveillance of COVID-19 Patients
The federal government plans to process more of our personal data, in the name of containing COVID-19, but without showing that this serious privacy intrusion would actually do anything to protect public health. EFF filed comments in opposition to these… Read More ›
No to Blockchain Credentials of COVID-19 Test Results for Entry to Public Spaces
An ill-conceived California bill endorses a blockchain-based system that would turn COVID-19 test results into permanent records that could be used to grant access to public places. EFF and ACLU oppose California A.B. 2004. The newest version of this bill… Read More ›
University App Mandates Are The Wrong Call
As students, parents, and schools prepare the new school year, universities are considering ways to make returning to campus safer. Some are considering and even mandating that students install COVID-related technology on their personal devices, but this is the wrong… Read More ›
Staying Private While Using Google Docs for Legal & Mutual Aid Work
Regardless of your opinion about Google, their suite of collaborative document editing tools provides a powerful resource in this tumultuous time. Across the country, grassroots groups organizing mutual aid relief work in response to COVID-19 and legal aid as part… Read More ›
Germany’s Corona-Warn-App: Frequently Asked Questions
This blog post is co-authored with Least Authority, a Berlin-based tech company committed to advancing digital security and preserving privacy as a fundamental human right. This week, Germany’s COVID tracing app finally went live. As governments around the world have… Read More ›
Bracelets, Beacons, Barcodes: Wearables in the Global Response to COVID-19
In their efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic, governments around the world are rolling out body-worn devices (“wearables”) to assist in fighting the virus. Some governments want a technological silver bullet to solve the public health crisis. But… Read More ›