Well... it worked in South Korea. It would have to be temporary and only for positive tests.
U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
121–130 of 186 posts
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#122Best solution to this IMO is a special app which allows you to check in, prove your virus status (have it, had it, don't have it yet). Map of other users in the area so you know you're safe. You could then use that to check in to shops etc. and not be allowed in without showing status, those who have it have to stay home and check in for a given period. Uses biometrics to ensure a given user is using it. Apple should…
Nope. Terrible.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#123I have been somewhat conflicted/despairing about Taiwan’s response (only 77 cases and 1 death as of right now, 2020-Mar-17, despite reslly cloze ties with China and an almost equally early onset) since I read this: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 a couple of weeks ago. Paragraph 2 is especially instructive. I have historically been dead against the type of cross referencing and identificatio…
I've been posting that link in various comments on the web over the last week, it's a very interesting article. But Taiwan is not the US; they have shown a very healthy trend away from authoritarianism over the last 33 years since the lifting of Martial Law in 1987 (and the 40 years of 'White Terror' [1] that preceded it). Also, on the question of authoritarianism, I think there is a case for greater tolerance of it…
> however I would describe the KMT as an invading power, not a native, somewhat trusted authority (as is more the case with their present, democratically elected
A Taiwanese friend mentioned that the majority of indigenous peoples of Taiwan support the KMT rather than the DPP (the current party in power).
I suppose for them, all Han Taiwanese are “colonists” but the KMT gave them more benefits.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#124Well, buckle up folks. Android's GLS service has an absolute insane data ingestion pipeline consisting of sensor fusion from GPS, Wifi, accelerometer, barometric data, and cell tower locations. It's accurate to within meters, can locate you inside buildings, can count your footsteps, and even knows what floor you've been on. It's been used by Google to tune its indoor WiFi maps and improve location accuracy for years…
Its not over - I switch to oldschool phone that I'll regularly switch off. I'll have some lagging in communication, but at least it's a way to raise awareness among my friends.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#125Well, buckle up folks. Android's GLS service has an absolute insane data ingestion pipeline consisting of sensor fusion from GPS, Wifi, accelerometer, barometric data, and cell tower locations. It's accurate to within meters, can locate you inside buildings, can count your footsteps, and even knows what floor you've been on. It's been used by Google to tune its indoor WiFi maps and improve location accuracy for years…
A more hopeful interpretation. This can be a tool for good. It's not necessary for the state to have access. We already have access. This capability is precisely what we need to generate data that can be used to resolve this crisis and allow us to safely exit from quarantine. The GDPR allows individuals to request access to their own data. They can voluntarily share this with their health systems, communities, and go…
I argue if everyone would increase their Vitamin D level drastically (by 10000IU), this sole intervention would save much, much more lives than tracking location of phones.
I'm in for the Vitamins, not for tracking.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#126First person to make a phone with hardware switches for gps, bluetooth, wifi, cellular and microphone gets my money.
Also pinephone. https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/ Unfortunately the GNSS (GPS) is on one chip with modem, but otherwise great feature to have killswitches for cameras and comms. https://wiki.pine64.org/images/8/89/PinePhone_switches.jpeg
If you don't want location tracking, you need to turn off the modem anyway.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#127The interesting thing about ideas like this is that they reveal how authoritarianism during times of stability does a terrible amount of damage during times of crisis. This is the sort of problem that could be solved in a better world; collecting location data to find interactions between people would allow you to get them tested faster and prevent a disease from spreading. But it simply can't be done in this country…
> a responsible institution that would use it only for the purpose of saving lives and then delete it when the crisis was over
The UK managed to get rid of ID cards in 1948 on pretty much this basis. The problem is, that war ended, but the one started on 9/11/2001 hasn't. For temporary authority we need both clearly defined end conditions, a belief that they will be reached, and faith in the authorities to work in good faith towards the ending of that crisis.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
What if information could be revoked? Imagine the government suspects me in some investigation. I give them a key that gives them all information about me and my recent activities. Then once some period elapses, I revoke that key and they no longer have any of that information. Nor, of course, were they able to copy or independently distribute it in any way when they had it. This is probably pure fantasy, but if ther…
Every time I think about this issue, the closest I can get is a distributed world of APIs, where everyone hosts their own data [however], and for any service whether it be government, commercial, work, friendly, etc, the entity's agent makes an API request and gets a result. But that result isn't the data - it's a privacy-focused result that can be used in place of the data. The simple example would be "I'd like to s…
This could be possible if the data is stored encrypted in a public ledger (blockchain), which has time-locked script functions that permit another key to decrypt certain pieces of data for a limited duration. I think something like this is a primary goal of most decentralized identity projects, some of which have been underway for around a decade.
Of course none of this stops the person with temporary access from making a copy to save forever. I doubt that problem has a technical solution but would love to be proved wrong.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#129The interesting thing about ideas like this is that they reveal how authoritarianism during times of stability does a terrible amount of damage during times of crisis. This is the sort of problem that could be solved in a better world; collecting location data to find interactions between people would allow you to get them tested faster and prevent a disease from spreading. But it simply can't be done in this country…
It just shows that different people have different triggers that makes acceptable for them to restrict basic rigths and liberties. For some it is terrorism or child pornography, for others it is pandemic.
We do not really need to find agreement, it would suffice if mobile operators implement opt-in that could be easily enabled in web portals. Then society can just advertise this opt-in.
Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know, maybe it is. Maybe the politics of our world simply are that cynical and won't allow for such a thing to exist. But I guess I'm hoping it isn't. I'm trying to imagine how a non-authoritarian institution would work; it wouldn't have the "authority" to compel anyone to turn over their data, but just about everyone would have enough trust in the community and its decision making process to be okay with it.…
Personally, I think the only way we will retake our privacy is when hobby level, readily available hardware, software, and 3d printable parts enable hobbyists to create “good enough” phones with encryption and privacy options that won’t exist in mass market phones. Then an enterprising startup can deliver marked-up, preassembled devices, then people might have privacy again.
You would still have position data based on triangulation from signal level / latency for different BTSes.