S.T.O.P. Warns That 'COVID Alert NY' Contact Tracing App Will Be "Public Health, Privacy Disaster"

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Warns That ‘COVID Alert NY’ Contact Tracing App Will Be “Public Health, Privacy Disaster” Renews calls on Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign privacy legislation blocking police access to contact tracing data.   (NEW YORK, NY, 09/29/2020) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, warns that New York State’s COVID Alert NY contact tracing app will likely be a public health and privacy disaster. State officials plan to launch the app this week, using a controversial Bluetooth tracking technology first developed by Apple and Google in May. SEE: COVID Alert NY Overview Page https://apps.health.ny.gov/public/covidsmart.html   “Contact tracing apps have failed around the world, and they will be a dangerous distraction here in New York,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “COVID-19 apps will expand healthcare inequality, promote bias, and put New Yorkers at risk. Instead of handing over our most intimate information to these gimmicky platforms, New York State should invest in evidence-based health measures. Even more New Yorkers will die of COVID-19 if we waste time and money on this Orwellian app.”   COVID Alert NY’s launch comes amid growing calls for Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign privacy protections for contact tracing data. The legislation, which was passed by New York lawmakers this summer, would block police, ICE, and other officials from using contact tracing data in criminal and immigration cases.   SEE: NY Senate Sends Contact Tracing Data Privacy Bill To Gov. Cuomo’s Desk https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ny-senate-sends-contact-tracing-data-12479/   N.Y. Daily News - Contact tracing isn’t working; Cuomo can help https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-contact-tracing-cuomo-20200821-cjplqivkhnhfhfa6f2mb5tilb4-story.html   Cahn continued, “COVID Alert NY potentially lets police and ICE track where we travel, if we attend protests, and even where we practice our faith. Even worse, officers don’t even need a warrant to get this data. COVID Alert NY would be a bad idea under any circumstances, but it is utterly inexcusable when Governor Cuomo continues to drag his feet on signing privacy protections into law. Without these safeguards, COVID Alert NY is little better than an NYPD tracking device.”   In May, the civil rights group released its report Beware: Bluetooth Ahead, detailing the privacy, civil rights, efficacy, and discrimination concerns with Apple and Google’s Bluetooth tracking software.   SEE: Report – Beware: Bluetooth Ahead https://www.stopspying.org/bluetooth   Washington Post - The Technology 202: Tech to contain coronavirus on college campuses sparks fresh privacy concerns https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-technology-202/2020/07/10/the-technology-202-tech-to-contain-coronavirus-on-college-campuses-spark-fresh-privacy-concerns/5f077b4a88e0fa7b44f716e8/   Cahn continued, “the low-income New Yorkers of color who are least likely to be able to use this software are also those most at risk of dying from COVID-19. Moreover, with the application available in just six languages, it will exclude many of the immigrant communities who have borne the brunt of COVID-19.”   The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END –   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.