DATABASE DISPATCH
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE COMES TO LIFE IN EASTERN UKRAINE
At the start of the pandemic, researchers warned that the “digital divide” could have stark consequences for people without smartphones if the virus response centres around tech.
By June, that hypothetical situation had become a reality. Some 40 people were not allowed to travel through a checkpoint between eastern Ukraine and separatist-controlled regions because they could not download the government’s Act at Home coronavirus app. According to Human Rights Watch and groups that monitor the Novotroitskaya crossing point in the disputed Donetsk region, that meant the individuals were trapped for three days in an area which sees sporadic outbreaks of fighting.
Around 1.3 million crossings are made each month, with most being made by older people, travelling between the two territories to collect their pensions.
The Ukrainian government requires people crossing into the country via airports or checkpoints to have the country’s official quarantine app downloaded on their phones. When a person downloads Act at Home – designed to make sure people adhere to quarantine rules – they have 24 hours to reach the address where they will spend their two-week isolation period before the app starts sending selfie requests at random intervals, intended as a way for the user to verify their location. If they do not respond, a police officer can be sent and if they are not home, individuals can be fined or face criminal charges.
In most parts of Ukraine, people who can’t – or won’t – download the app can choose instead to quarantine at a medical facility. However, last month it was reported that authorities at checkpoints in the country’s east were not offering any alternative which meant anyone who did not own a smartphone was denied entry.
As a result, the 40 people denied entry at the Novotroitskaya checkpoint on 23 June were, according to Human Rights Watch, forced to shelter in nearby woods in a “grey zone” heavily contaminated by landmines. The group was unable to turn back to Donetsk because the Russia-backed rebels were refusing to readmit people due to the coronavirus. The situation was resolved after three days with the unfortunate travellers being transported to a facility in Ukraine where they could spend their two-week quarantine.
The incident underscores perfectly "the human rights risks posed by government implementation of mandatory apps in response to Covid-19, particularly when non-digital alternatives are not made available,” as Human Rights Watch put it.
SIX COUNTRIES USING SURVEILLANCE ON BEACHES
Around the world, social distancing rules have been flouted on beaches. For example, during a recent heatwave, half a million Brits crowded together at the seaside. In response, governments are deploying surveillance technology to prevent the scenes from the UK’s southwest coast from repeating themselves at their coastlines. Here’s how:
🇧🇪 In Belgium, 10 coastal districts announced they have developed a new system which detects how many mobile phones are present on local beaches and then publishes live updates to a dedicated website, warning people to stay away from congested areas.
🇪🇸 During the holiday season Spain is using drones to monitor the number of people on its beaches and some local authorities are also asking people to book space before they arrive, using specialised apps.
🇺🇸 Back in March, a data company called Tectonix Geo tracked phones on a Florida beach during spring break and used a heat map to visualise how those people then returned to their homes – dispersing across the country, potentially taking the virus with them.
🇬🇷 Town hall employees near Athens, Greece, have been flying drones over beaches to detect congestion levels while broadcasting the message: “We keep our distance, we respect public health.”
🇮🇱 Israeli police in the coastal city of Naharia have also been using drones to patrol its beachfronts.
🇵🇹 Sunseekers in Portugal were asked to download the app Info Praia which would tell them how busy the beach is. However the digital rights group D3 criticised the “excessive” permissions the app asked for on its launch, including access to location, microphone and photos.
WEEKLY WEB ROUND-UP
- At the European AI forum on 30 June, the EU’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager – known for her high-profile antitrust investigations – said she was often asked if she believed she had been too hard on technology companies after all the benefits digital solutions had brought during this crisis. “My answer to this is that our objectives are more relevant than ever: the more we use and depend on digital technologies, the more important it is that these technologies are in tune with our values, our beliefs, our rules.”
- Digital rights lecturer, Michael Veale, noted how Singapore’s wearable contact-tracing device was not quite the privacy-focused alternative some people thought it might be: “The tracetogether token, and the new [version] of the app, is the *opposite of anonymous*. Users input their identity card numbers before they can use it. Every ping resolves to this. This risks becoming an infrastructure for quarantine control.”
- Australia’s deputy chief medical officer resists the Apple-Google contact-tracing system despite allegations that the country’s current app is ineffective. “There’s no way we’re shifting to a platform that will take out the contact tracers”, he t old the country’s Channel 10.
- Russian state media has reported how the authorities are considering deploying an app specifically for migrant workers. So far, the details are unclear but reports suggest the app could contain detailed biometric data, “health status", and information on their police record. The app would apparently note the person’s “social trustworthiness” rating.
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
Covid-19 apps continue to spread around the world. In the next edition, this newsletter will take a close look at the technology being used to contain the virus in Botswana.
Would you like this newsletter straight in your inbox?
Every Monday, I share the latest on coronavirus surveillance from our global database of tech experts and journalists.