The Federal Government believes that it may be possible for them to track the coronavirus much more efficiently if they are able to use phone data to see where people have been and who they might have been in contact with. Some of the companies that they are talking with right now include Facebook, Google and various other top providers.
Washington is interested in using the data to try and find out more about how the virus spreads and to also find out if people are practicing social distancing properly.
A New Task Force
A new task force has been made up of tech and various other industry executives and they have presented a case for the use of location data. The White House has conducted a meeting and they have stated that they are not responding to any comments that have been made so far but they are encouraged by tech companies in America. The meeting came hot on the heels of the summit which was being led by Michael Kratsios last week.
He has spoken with executives from Facebook, Google and more and they all want to know how Silicon Valley can help to stop the spread of the virus while also finding out if tech companies can be given more support in the meantime. Of course, the data that they are using is not going to track to see if you have logged onto online bingo sites, but it will track you if you have been somewhere for an extended period of time and if you were in close proximity to other people.
Top Priority
The White House has released a statement saying that their first and top priority is to try and make sure that the American people are protected during this outbreak. They have also stated that cutting-edge technology and companies will play a critical role in making sure that all hands are truly on deck. Only time will tell what the future is going to hold but right now it looks like more needs to be done to try and make sure that the right rules and regulations are being followed.
A lot of people are concerned that people are not doing everything they can to practice the right measures and that this is having an impact on the overall outbreak. It’s also been reported that new measures could come into place to try and force people to follow the rules, but right now, it looks like tech might be harnessed so that people can protect both themselves and their families.
There is a concern though and this all comes down to the fact that the data that could be accessed is not really suitable for the public domain and that it should not be used in such a way either. Some would find this to be a breach of security, and that other measures should be implemented to try and curb the outbreak without violating privacy.
