In the worldwide battle against COVID-19 – more governments are looking at our phones to track the infected and to prevent the virus from spreading.
China, South Korea, Israel, Italy and others are using phone location software, along with CCTV video and credit card records, among other tools, to do that.
Governments are understandably eager to use every weapon at their disposal in this fight and phone tracking has already proven effective in some places – such as China.
But these measures come with all kinds of questions on finding the right balance between the need for public safety and the individual’s right to privacy.
Another question worth asking: How long do the authorities intend to keep digging into our phones?
Political leaders everywhere are likening the COVID-19 fight to a war and it would not be the first time that extraordinary security measures – imposed during a time of war – proved permanent and problematic.
Related: Edward Snowden: The Surveillance States Will Outlast the Coronavirus
Against the Grain 