[LINK] "Mobile phone location data used to track Australians' movements during coronavirus crisis"
Roger Clarke
Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Sun Apr 5 11:03:56 AEST 2020
On 5/4/20 9:41 am, Christian Heinrich wrote:
> https://www.smh.com.au/technology/mobile-phone-location-data-used-to-track-australians-movements-during-coronavirus-crisis-20200404-p54h09.html
My comments on the privacy list were as follows:
[The two diagrams show the degree of compliance that's been achieved
with the governments' urgings for spatial isolation and reduced movement.
[It's a bit chilling how successful it's been in Australia:
https://e.infogr.am/sydney-movement-citymapper-1h8n6mz8x9pv2xo?live?parent_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Ftechnology%2Fmobile-phone-location-data-used-to-track-australians-movements-during-coronavirus-crisis-20200404-p54h09.html&src=embed#async_embed
[But it's been achieved in Australia by 'moral suasion', with very
measured use of authoritarian speech, and even more carefully measured
use of authoritarian action.
[So far, despite my degree of scepticism about several aspects of the
nature of the epidemic, touch wood, Australia and its government has
behaved in an eminently civilised manner.]
[The Vodafone move is above all a corporate strategic PR play, to get
its name in front of the Australian public in a positive way. It's been
done a sufficiently long time after the last really bad news about
Vodafone that it could well help reverse the company's fortunes.
[The privacy negatives arising from the data disclosure appear to be
pretty limited - although, as always, the devil's in the detail that the
public isn't being told.
[The privacy negatives arising from the possession by Vodafone, Optus
and Telstra of the underlying, identified data are vast.
[Totalitarian governments, and wannabes like Dutton and the
shaven-headed brigade in a range of Canberra agencies, are salivating at
the prospect of normalising the expropriation and exploitation of such
data.
[So this reminds us all how fragile democracies already are. And how
quickly the moves will be by future Hitlers / Lenins-Stalins / Pol Pots
/ PRC supremos / Saudi, Central Asian and African dictators / etc.]
--
Roger Clarke mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916 http://www.xamax.com.au http://www.rogerclarke.com
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University
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