MP wants law to protect privacy of those who use coronavirus tracing app
THE GOVERNMENT must put in place effective safeguards to protect individual privacy before rolling out its coronavirus contact tracing app, senior parliamentarians have warned.
The Joint Human Rights Committee said legislation was essential to ensure the mass surveillance of personal data did not result in the unjustifiable “violation of fundamental rights”.
Trials of the app – which alerts mobile phone users if they have come into contact with someone with Covid-19 symptoms – began this week on the Isle of Wight.
Ministers see it as a key element in their “test, track and trace” strategy to stop the spread of the disease and enable the easing of the lockdown restrictions.
But the system, which potentially involves tracking the movements of millions of people, has raised concerns among civil liberties campaigners.
The committee chair, Harriet Harman, said: “Assurances from ministers about privacy are not enough. The Government has given assurances about protection of privacy so they should have no objection to those assurances being enshrined in law.
“The contact tracing app involves unprecedented data gathering.
Called for ‘robust protection’ over how data will be used and who will access it.
There must be robust legal protection for individuals about what that data will be used for, who will have access to it and how it will be safeguarded from hacking.
“Parliament was able quickly to agree to give the Government sweeping powers. It is perfectly possible for Parliament to do the same for legislation to protect privacy.”
Downing Street said “security and privacy” had been prioritised during the app’s development.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Users can delete the app and its data whenever they want and we will always comply with relevant laws, including the Data Protection Act.”