Coronavirus

More than half of states using GPS data to monitor social isolation

More than half of states using GPS data to monitor social isolation

According to newspaper Estadão, more than half of states have been using geolocation tools on mobile phones to monitor the behavior of Brazilians during the pandemic. Companies say that the data is anonymous and does not constitute a breach of people’s right to privacy — but NGO Data Privacy Brazil said telecommunications companies can offer no such guarantee. The subject remains a gray area in Brazilian law, especially since the General Data Protection Law — set to be enforced in August — was postponed until 2021.

Newly-appointed Health Minister Nelson Teich defends monitoring as an effective measure to map the path of the virus in Brazil — even though President Jair Bolsonaro previously shut down a federal initiative to that end.