>>11754124 lb

It worked so well it is already becoming the new normal, GOP better wake their ass up

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/11/23/1012491/contact-tracing-mandatory-singapore-covid-pandemic/

Many countries launched contact tracing and exposure notification apps early in the pandemic to help slow the spread of covid-19. Now some of the most prominent are beginning to change their approach to privacy and transparency, according to MIT Technology Review’s covid tracing tracker.

The tracker, which launched in May, looks at the policies and safeguards around contact tracing apps worldwide. It collects information on the use and policies around these new technologies, including how they approach privacy.

We recently downgraded several apps after finding that several countries had made significant changes to how they use and store personal data.

Singapore was the first country to launch a significant digital contact tracing system, and its TraceTogether technology has been picked up by several other countries. But while the program was initially voluntary, that has slowly shifted as the world has fallen deeper into the pandemic and cases have risen.

Around 45% of the nation’s 5.6 million residents currently use TraceTogether, and the country has tied it to its digital check-in system, called SafeEntry, which allows it to monitor people’s movements. But the government plans to make the use of these systems mandatory by the end of December. Residents will have to use the smartphone app or a wearable device and use SafeEntry, or they will not be allowed access to shops, schools, or other public places without checking in.

This story is part of the Pandemic Technology Project, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.