Last month, Dr Mark Van Rijmenam wrote a very thoughtful article on Datafloq about digital privacy concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Rijmenam pointed out that many countries have started introducing legislation to track citizens to limit the spread of the virus. This has created major privacy concerns as the COVID-19 crisis worsens.
As concerning as this development is, other privacy concerns are emerging. They have not received as much attention, but they are potentially even more concerning. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a growing number of people to move all of their communications online. As a result, their messages are subject to being intercepted by hackers.
Both of these concerns are causing citizens around the world to be more concerned than ever about their online privacy. They may decide to start taking new precautions to protect their digital information from hackers and unnecessary surveillance.
Polls show a growing concern about digital privacy
Pew Research recently released the findings of a new poll on digital privacy concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. Participants were informed that the United States and other governments were considering placing tracking apps on people’s mobile devices to monitor their locations. They were told that the geolocation data could presumably be used to identify people that violated social distancing rules.
Most people that participated in the polls were not very enthusiastic about the idea. Pew Research found that 60% of participants did not believe this approach would be effective.
The survey found that people’s tolerance for surveillance was fairly nuanced. The vast majority of people believe that it was acceptable to use digital technology to track people that were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus to ensure they were not putting others at risk. The poll found that 52% of participants found it was either very acceptable or somewhat acceptable, while 48% found it to be either somewhat unacceptable or very unacceptable. However, a small majority opposed using technology to track people that were exposed to someone who had been infected. The vast majority of people taking a poll were against using technology to track the average citizen with no confirmed diagnosis or contact with an infected person.
There is far less support when Americans are asked about the government using cellphones to track people’s locations to ensure they are complying with social distancing recommendations: 62% say this is somewhat or very unacceptable, while just 37% say it is somewhat or very acceptable, writes Pew author Brooke Auxier.
This shows that these proposals have minimal acceptance in the general population. If more governments try to engage in this kind of surveillance, it will be met with strong opposition.
What measures will people take to safeguard their online privacy?
Many citizens are becoming wearier about government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, they have many options to protect their online privacy.
Some citizens might simply stop carrying mobile devices to avoid being tracked at all. They might leave their devices at home if they plan on going on a large trip. They might also ask to borrow a smartphone from somebody that has not been tracked because they have not been confirmed to be infected or exposed.
People could also lie about having their devices being stolen. This would be a less common defense because it would likely be proved false if they were caught with their device at a later time.
The most likely scenario is that people will find ways to keep their devices from being tracked. They might invest in high-quality VPNs, which can encrypt all of their signals. They might also find creative ways to disable the tracking apps on their mobile devices.
People must seek protection against a growing risk of cybercrime
Cybercriminals are becoming more brazen as they recognize a growing number of people are forced to quarantine at home. The number of cyberattacks has increased as hackers take advantage of the chaos.
Some of the attacks appear to be directed at government institutions and medical research facilities. A recent report shows that foreign hackers appear to be stealing vaccine information.
Unfortunately, regular civilians are also being exploited by cybercriminals. People need to take reasonable precautions more than ever, which includes having the latest malware protection and using VPNs to protect digital privacy. They might try using a VPN trial to test the waters to see if they can avoid unwanted surveillance.
Digital security will be a greater concern than ever has COVID-19 exposes risks
People are likely to oppose digital tracking during the coronavirus crisis. They have plenty of options available to them if they want to ensure their mobile privacy.