Public Health Wales yesterday announced a data breach involving the personally identifiable data of 18,105 people resident in Wales who had received a positive test for Covid-19. In a statement, the health body attributed the incident to “individual human error”, whereby the data was mistakenly uploaded to a public server on 30 August, remaining searchable […]
coronavirus
Apple and Google are preparing to roll out phase two of their Covid-19 contact-tracing system, allowing users to receive notifications about their exposure to infectious people without needing to install a specific app. Operating system update will allow opt-in to coronavirus exposure notifications without need of an app. Source: Google and Apple to roll out […]
Canada’s privacy regulator is admitting the government’s contract tracing app can’t provide a 100% guarantee of anonymity. “True anonymity, technically speaking, would require the complete and permanent impossibility of reversing the data processes at play, which could reveal sources of personal information and so re-identify individuals,” says Vito Pilieci, spokesman for Canada Privacy Commissioner Daniel […]
Contact tracing apps have the power to amass personal data that reveals your movements, activities and relationships. The potential harm from contact tracing apps came into focus at Defcon, an annual gathering of hackers that’s taking place online this week. Two presentations focused on the privacy failings of contact tracing apps. The verdict is clear: […]
Ministers accused of reckless behaviour over roll-out, with Guardian learning of data breaches. The UK government broke the law in rolling out its test-and-trace programme without a full assessment of the privacy implications, the Department of Health and Social Care has admitted after a legal challenge. Source: Government admits breaking privacy law with NHS test […]
Throughout the COVID-19 global outbreak, Israel has taken a unique approach for fighting the pandemic. While other countries have developed and implemented new technologies for contact tracing, Israel preferred using a covert technology, operated by the General Secret Service for anti-terror purposes. Source: Israel introduces new contact-tracing bill
Privacy advocates warn of a slippery slope toward “normalizing” new levels of employer surveillance. Employers are rushing to use digital tracking technology to reduce virus transmission in the workplace. But privacy experts worry that businesses will start using their newfound surveillance capabilities for purposes far beyond public health. The data could be used to evaluate […]
With pubs and restaurants required to collect customer data for contact tracing when they reopen, data privacy risks will be heightened. The potential for pubs to mismanage, mishandle or lose that data in breaches or leaks has the potential to put the pub-going public at massive risk, says privacy experts. Full article: Pub ‘check-in’ apps […]
Attorney General Letitia James is calling on two major tech companies to protect consumer information and privacy as New Yorkers and Americans across the country continue to battle COVID-19. In letters penned to Apple and Google, AG James is urging both companies to make sure that existing and future third-party contact tracing apps published through […]
One of the first national coronavirus contacts-tracing apps to be launched in Europe is being suspended in Norway after the country’s data protection authority raised concerns that the software, called “Smittestopp,” poses a disproportionate threat to user privacy — including by continuously uploading people’s location. Following a warning from the watchdog Friday, the Norwegian Institute […]