As the world is fighting the coronavirus outbreak, the use of technology and data science is becoming increasingly important. Big data and digital surveillance will help us understand and fight the virus, but could also pose a problem.

1. Covid-19 Is Changing Our
World – As Well As Our
Attitude To Technology And
Privacy – Why Could That
Be A Problem?

2. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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IntroductionIntroduction
Statistics and experts seem to suggest that, as I write this, China – the starting point and
original epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic – is started to contain its spread. But it
has come at a cost.
Even before the outbreak, Chinese citizens were subject to far more stringent levels of
state surveillance, and technology-driven tracking measures than most of us in the West
are used to. In the changing world we find ourselves living in now, that intrusion into
day-to-day life has greatly intensified.
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World – As Well As
Our Attitude To Technology And Privacy –Why
Could That Be A Problem?

3. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
Officials have deployed helmet-mounted cameras able to identify residents with raised
body temperatures amongst crowds of people, and smartphone apps use machine
learning to rate citizens using a color-coded scheme that awards them a “risk level” of red,
yellow or green.
Drones armed with heat-sensing cameras, loudspeakers, and even "chemical spray jets”
have been deployed to enforce the strict quarantine laws that can see citizens jailed for up
to seven years for non-compliance. And residents have reported being unable to access
their homes in locked-down apartment blocks when automated security measures
determine that data suggests they pose too high a risk.
It certainly isn’t just China – in Iran, the government encouraged downloading
of an app that it said would be used to diagnose contagion, without mentioning that is
could also be used to track the movements of everyone using it, as well
as who they came into contact with. The app was quickly removed from app stores and
disowned by officials when its true capabilities were revealed by security researchers.

4. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
The good news is that – in China, at least - these measures seem to be working. As of
writing, the official line from China is that the domestic spread of the disease seems to
have been almost stopped completely, with the vast majority of new infections being
brought in from abroad.
But as the epicenter of the outbreak shifts from Asia to western nations, what does this
say about the measures leaders here will have to consider imposing to achieve the same
success? And how will citizens feel about being subjected to the same level of
technological intrusion into their private lives?
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, westerners became aware of the need for a
balance between state surveillance in the name of security and personal freedoms – in
particular, the right to privacy. Current events have brought this into even sharper focus.
To many, terrorism may have always seemed a distant threat. But with every state in the
US now reporting coronavirus infections, as well as just about every country in the world,
most of us feel as if danger is near, and
very real.

5. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
Advocacy of measures that would often be termed “draconian” – particularly if they are
happening in China or other nations with openly authoritarian rulership - is becoming
more frequent. Western leaders, including Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, have been
accused of being slow to act, or even of prioritizing their own political interests over public
safety, for delaying measures such as lockdowns, business closures, and the banning of
public events.
And as authorities begin to take measure and adopt policy based on this shift of public
sentiment, we are seeing changes to what is acceptable.
In the UK, the government is using (so far, anonymized) individuals’ location data to
measure how people are complying with mandates for isolation, self-quarantine, and
social isolation. Aggregated data from phone provider 02 is now being used to monitor
public movement around London, and this could be used to understand peoples’
reactions to newly-imposed restrictions on public transport – as no-one really knows what
the effects of this will be.

6. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
While few would object at this moment in time to this sort of analysis of randomized,
aggregated behavioral data, we know from China that things can potentially be taken far
further. How many more infections and deaths are needed before tracking of individuals
who are known to be infected, or just in danger of being infected, seems not just
justifiable but a necessity?
One important factor that must be kept in mind is openness. These changed times –
dramatic though they may be – don’t appear to give any added justification for this data-
gathering and analysis to be carried out secretly. Unlike the fight against terrorism, there’s
no argument that public knowledge of these enhanced security measures can limit their
effectiveness. The virus won’t adapt its methods due to knowing that we are tracking it.

7. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
There is a danger that these changes and actions will lead to the establishment of a "new
normal." Once this outbreak is contained, and our lives have adapted to the measures
needed to keep it so, there's always going to be the danger of another outbreak on the
horizon. Just as the years following the Second World War were spend putting measures
in place to reduce the likelihood of another global conflict, prevention of future viral
pandemics will become a priority of governments and security services for many years to
come. This could involve technology such as biometric surveillance, artificial intelligence,
and movement tracking, becoming an accepted aspect of life. Governments and tech
providers will have to think very carefully about the way that this is done, to ensure it can't
be exploited either by those looking to make profits or to further their
political aims.

8. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Covid-19 Is Changing Our World
The world is changing fast. Restaurants, sports events, foreign travel, and family
gatherings have vanished from many of our lives. The way things are heading, the next
casualty could be our concerns over privacy and freedom from state surveillance of our
day-to-day activities. As much as this may seem sensible and a matter of priority, it could
be the beginning of a journey down a dangerous path, if careful thought is not given to all
of its implications.

9. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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