But all of them must be temporary, necessary, and proportionate. Some may be effective and based on advice from epidemiologists, others will not be. Others use exemptions in data protection laws to share data. Many of those measures are based on extraordinary powers, only to be used temporarily in emergencies. Unprecedented levels of surveillance, data exploitation, and misinformation are being tested across the world. Some of these measures impose severe restrictions on people’s freedoms, including to their privacy and other human rights. Tech companies, governments, and international agencies have all announced measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus.
