Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts

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We all want the COVID-19 nightmare to end, and increasingly we see companies and lawmakers turning to surveillance as a solution.   Recently, Apple and Google announced a rare partnership—joining forces to create a new tool that uses Bluetooth on our phones and devices to potentially track every person we spend time with. But, as our executive director writes in today’s Boston Globe, we should be deeply skeptical of these tech giants’ claims.   The truth is that location-based contact tracing and other high-tech surveillance tools are almost useless without widespread access to quick, reliable COVID-19 testing, a low-tech tool that is sadly still missing in many parts of the U.S. But even more concerning is the fact that Apple and Google’s system will create yet another way for each of us to be tracked by advertisers, police, and maybe even ICE.    Sadly, this pandemic has become the latest excuse for mass surveillance. Whether proposals come from Silicon Valley, City Hall, or Washington, D.C., S.T.O.P. will continue to watch the watchers, asking if new technologies are the solution, or just another problem.   In solidarity, Will Luckman Organizer Our First Year Our Team Share Tweet Forward