COVID-19 data sharing spurs profiling concerns
‘Chilling effect’ in communities of color is noted
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Public health officials in at least two-thirds of U.S. states are sharing addresses of people who have the coronavirus with first responders. Supporters say the measure is designed to protect those on the front line, but it has sparked concerns of profiling in minority communities already mistrustful of law enforcement.
An Associated Press review of those states found that at least 10 states also share the names of everyone who tests positive.
Sharing the information does not violate medical privacy laws, under guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Law enforcement officials say the information helps them take extra precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the coronavirus.
But civil liberty and community activists have expressed concerns of potential profiling in African
American and Hispanic communities that already have an uneasy relationship with law enforcement. Some envision the data being forwarded to immigration officials.
In Tennessee, the issue has sparked criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who only became aware of the data sharing earlier this month.
“The information could actually have a ‘chilling effect’ that keeps those already distrustful of the government from taking the COVID-19 test and possibly accelerate the spread of the disease,” the Tennessee Black Caucus said in a statement this month.
Many members of minority communities are employed in industries that require them to show up to work every day, making them more susceptible to the virus — and most in need of the test.
The AP review shows that public health officials in at least 35 states share the addresses of those who have tested positive for the coronavirus — provided by the state or local health departments to emergency dispatch centers that request it. In at least 10 of those states, health agencies also share their names: Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Tennessee. Wisconsin did so briefly but stopped earlier this month.
Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said law enforcement agencies should explain why they are collecting names or addresses and assure minority communities that the information won’t be turned over to the federal government. He noted the Trump administration’s demands that local governments cooperate with immigration authorities as a concern.
“We should question why the information needs to be provided to law enforcement, whether there is that danger of misuse,” Saenz said.
Law enforcement officials note they have long been entrusted with confidential information — such as social security numbers and criminal history. The COVID-19 information is just a continuation of that trend.
According to the national Fraternal Order of
Police, more than 100 police officers in the United States have died from the coronavirus. Hundreds more have tested positive, resulting in st affi ng crunches.
“Many agencies before having this information had officers down, and now they’ve been able to keep that to a minimum,” said Maggi Duncan, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.
Duncan said having the information beforehand is valuable because it allows officers “to do their jobs better and safer.”
To use the data, officers aren’t handed a physical list of COVID-19 patients. Instead, addresses and names are flagged in computer systems so that dispatchers can relay the information to officers responding to a call.
In Tennessee, the data is purged from the emergency communications system database within a month, or when the patient is no longer being monitored by the health department, according to health officials and agreements the AP reviewed.
First responders also must agree they won’t use the data to refuse a call for service, a requirement also implemented in most other states using the information.
Some are not convinced. The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition described sharing the medical information as “deeply concerning,” warning that doing so may undermine the trust governments have been trying to build with immigrants and communities of color.
“Tell us how it’s working for you, then tell us how well it’s been working. Don’t just tell us you need it for your job,” said state Rep. G.A. Hardway, a Memphis Democrat who chairs the legislative black caucus.