Mobile Phone Data and the Coronavirus

In the year, 2020 the Coronavirus uprooted and changed the lives of everyone. It has been the first true pandemic across the world in recent times. In an attempt to help fight the coronavirus or any future viruses that might develop across the world. There has been a trend to help fight the virus’s spread by looking at the mobile data of individual users who tested positive for the virus.

The idea is the government can look at the individual’s movement based on their cell phone to see where they went, when they were there, who they may have come in contact with as well. This seems to be an aggressive tool to help stop the spread of the virus and help individuals get tested who might have been exposed. Also, this is used to help people quarantine themselves since they might have been exposed and it will help them to stay away from people to protect others within the community.

Read the following Articles:

• “10 countries are now tracking phone data as the coronavirus pandemic heralds a massive increase in surveillance”Links to an external site.
  Hamilton, I. (2020, March 21). 10 countries are now tracking phone data as the coronavirus pandemic heralds a massive increase in surveillance. Business Insider Nederland. https://www.businessinsider.nl/countries-tracking-citizens-phones-coronavirus-2020-3?international=true&r=US
• “Israel to track mobile phones of suspected coronavirus cases”Links to an external site.
  Hamilton, I. (2020, March 21). 10 countries are now tracking phone data as the coronavirus pandemic heralds a massive increase in surveillance. Business Insider Nederland. https://www.businessinsider.nl/countries-tracking-citizens-phones-coronavirus-2020-3?international=true&r=US
• “Governments Harness Mobile Phone Data To Track Coronavirus Outbreak”Links to an external site.
  PYMTS. (2020, March 18). Governments Harness Mobile Phone Data To Track Coronavirus Outbreak. PYMNTS.Com. https://www.pymnts.com/coronavirus/2020/governments-harness-mobile-phone-data-to-track-outbreak/
• “Privacy vs pandemic: government tracking of mobile phones could be a potent weapon against COVID-19”Links to an external site.
  Fair, P. (2020, March 27). Privacy vs pandemic: government tracking of mobile phones could be a potent weapon against COVID-19. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/privacy-vs-pandemic-government-tracking-of-mobile-phones-could-be-a-potent-weapon-against-covid-19-134895
• “S.Africa launches mobile tracking of those with coronavirus”Links to an external site.
  Reuters. (2020, April 2). S.Africa launches mobile tracking of those with coronavirus. Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/africa-launches-mobile-tracking-those-180629507.html
• “Mobile phone location data used to track Australians’ movements during coronavirus crisis”Links to an external site.
  Grubb, B. (2020, April 4). Mobile phone location data used to track Australians’ movements during coronavirus crisis. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/mobile-phone-location-data-used-to-track-australians-movements-during-coronavirus-crisis-20200404-p54h09.html
• Russia to Use Mobile Phones to Track People at Risk of CoronavirusLinks to an external site.
  Stolyarov, G., Nikolskaya, P., & Astakhova, O. (2020, March 23). Russia to Use Mobile Phones to Track People at Risk of Coronavirus. US News. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-03-23/russia-to-use-mobile-phones-to-track-people-at-risk-of-coronavirus-pm
• Google wielding its vast troves of phone-tracking data in virus fightLinks to an external site.
  Overly, S. (2020, April 3). Google wielding its vast troves of phone-tracking data in virus fight. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/google-coronavirus-tracking-162715
• US and Europe turn to phone-tracking strategies to halt spread of coronavirusLinks to an external site.
  T.W.S. Journal. (2020, August 3). US and Europe turn to phone-tracking strategies to halt spread of coronavirus. Fox Business. https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/us-europe-phone-tracking-coronavirus

After reading the articles discuss:

• What is your impression of this tactic to fight the spread of the virus?
• Are you concerned about privacy or protection more?
• Would you want to find out that you have been potentially exposed to the virus because of this process?
• Does it make you feel safer that the government can track potential infections by this process and control the spread of the virus possibly?
• Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing in the end?
• Do you support your privacy being used in this manner to save the greater community?

Remember to respond to at least THREE of your classmates’ posts by Sunday evening. 

You must make an initial post before you are able to view the posts of your peers. Initial posts must be made by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Answer the prompt and respond to at least three of your peers’ posts. Replies to your peers and answer all questions by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

Response:

As you read your classmates’ postings, think of areas where you can expand on the subject, conduct more research to further explore the topic, or examine the subject through different lenses and perspectives.

Regarding your response to your classmates: Please highlight a new facet to build on what your classmate stated, add to the conversation, or find an alternative viewpoint and support your response with citations. It’s important to have more than “I agree” or “good point,” when responding!

A reminder about discussions at the Master’s level:

Try to complete your initial post early during the week and plan to continue dialogue with your classmates throughout the remainder of the week. Think of our online conversations as discussion in a traditional classroom. Posting your initial post and responses at the last moment would be similar to walking into a classroom discussion with 10 minutes left in the class. You would miss the issues covered by your classmates! Remember, the intent of our discussion is to take the conversation to the next level – the Master’s level of discussion.

In addition, posting early has its benefits. You have the opportunity to state your original thoughts without worrying that you are saying the same things that a classmate has already stated.  

Finally, please use academic citations from the library to support your statements. Don’t simply rely on Google!

More of the specifics for discussion grading can be found on the  “Specific Discussion Criteria” page.