Download the bulletin pdf here.
COVID, Police Powers & the Surveillance State
- Policing Technology Will Not Solve the Pandemic – PredPol Inc Exploits Pandemic for Profit: https://medium.com/@stoplapdspying/policing-technology-will-not-solve-the-pandemic-e8dc94ea3cac
- US Senate voted to continue surveilling online activities: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/13/21257481/wyden-freedom-patriot-act-amendment-mcconnell
Reopening California
- A. County ‘with all certainty’ to keep stay-at-home orders in place for next three months: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-12/coronavirus-beaches-reopen-los-angeles-county-move-toward-new-normal
- California’s “Stage 3 of reopening involves reopening higher risk workplaces that necessitate close proximity between people. That includes hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, gyms, movie theaters and sporting events without live audiences.” Newsom indicates this could be about a month away:
- https://abc7news.com/california-reopen-when-will-ca-reopening/6164202/
- Projections show California COVID-19 cases and deaths rising more than expected: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-10/california-coronavirus-cases-deaths-rising-more-than-expected
Contact Tracing
California
- California looking to build “an army of tracers of at least 10,000 people,” and the model is a San Francisco pilot program with UC SF and software company Dimagi; links:
- https://abc7.com/contact-tracing-coronavirus-stopping-whats-a-tracer/6158131/
- https://www.abc10.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/california-to-hire-10000-people-to-aid-in-contact-tracing/103-ce870a92-3d89-4122-b49f-ec5ff92414db
- https://abc7news.com/ucsf-contact-tracing-training-jobs-cdc-coroanvirus/6158742/
- https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/04/27/how-californias-contact-tracing-army-could-serve-as-model-for-nations-reopening-1280023
- https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/04/15/san-franciscos-new-contact-tracing-program-could-help-california-emerge-from-isolation-1276828
National
- Article provides a breakdown for different contact tracing programs and applications (apps) being developed for the United States and across the world: https://www.lawfareblog.com/contact-tracing-apps-united-states
- Release of Apple/Google in the United States, with wide launch for public health agencies by mid-May: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-29/apple-google-release-virus
- Software released for testing on April 30: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabellan/2020/04/30/apple-and-google-launch-first-phase-of-covid-19-contact-tracing-will-americans-use-it/#6dd599ed60ae
- Federal lawmakers express concerns about contact tracing and “technological abuse”; link: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-26/privacy-americans-trade-off-trace-coronavirus-contacts
- Clearview AI hopes to use facial biometrics technology to help U.S. with contact tracing: https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/controversial-tech-company-pitches-facial-recognition-to-track-covid-19-82638917537
Global
- MIT Technology Review is producing reviews of different apps from around the world: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/05/07/1000961/launching-mittr-covid-tracing-tracker/
Syndromic Surveillance
- Crowdsourced syndromic surveillance project built: https://www.wired.com/story/covid-near-you-crowdsources-data-to-predict-new-hotspots/
- “developed a novel Return-to-Work protocol consisting of laboratory testing algorithms intended to help guide employers and worksite health practitioners with their strategies to return workers and optimize ongoing monitoring and prevention”:
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy released a report that calls for the greater collection of demographic information at time of test, the automation of clinical data retrieval between providers, and enhancements to the CDC national syndromic surveillance program: https://hitinfrastructure.com/news/data-interoperability-and-exchange-recommendations-during-covid-19
- “The Global Bio-surveillance market is forecast to reach USD 5.62 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The recent H1N1 Influenza outbreak, SARS outbreak, and anthrax attacks in 2001 have made the government of various nations realize the importance of surveillance methods as an essential element of preparedness for bioterrorism. The resulted increasing investment in the sector is acting as a growth factor for the expansion of the market”: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/07/2030018/0/en/Biosurveillance-Market-To-Reach-USD-5-62-Billion-By-2027-Reports-and-Data.html
Immunity Passports
- WHO says not enough evidence to show that immunity passports would work as: states want them to: https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19
- Opinion piece says immunity passports are essential to opening: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/28/opinions/coronavirus-immunity-passport-opinion-mathew/index.html
- “ID startups have spotted an opportunity, holding talks with national governments, raising the possibility of cross-border collaboration, or offering their own ‘code of conduct’ for handling health certificates ethically”: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-immunity-passports-race-id-startups-yoti-onfido-2020-5