Shall we let Covid-19 violate our privacy for health?

It is not always easy to comply with the measures implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Governments must make the difficult decision of prioritizing public health over concerns about privacy and personal rights

The coronavirus, which has engulfed all areas of our lives like a fog for a year and a half, has caused the death of almost 4 million people around the world and threatened the lives of 180 million. With the first, second, third or even fourth waves in some countries, COVID-19-related restrictions continued to change every day. Many countries, such as the United Kingdom, which recently vaccinated most of its citizens and eased restrictions with its effective vaccination campaign, are now facing the delta variant and are dubious about normalization.

While all this was happening, many began to criticize and protest the restrictions and measures taken to keep the virus from spreading further. All these actions that may infringe on freedom and personal rights have been set aside for the sake of public health. How we can ensure public health without violating personal rights is a question that needs to be answered by experts and sociologists.

A real dystopia

Like an introductory sentence of a dystopic novel: “Everything began last December,” the virus that appeared on Dec. 31, 2019, in China’s Wuhan spread to the whole world. Governments, which started to take expeditious and drastic measures in the face of the virus, still could not prevent the increase in the number of cases. We found out in a short period of time how ill-prepared the word was for an epidemic.

Outbreaks have also brought about social and political changes such as colonialism and migration. Measures taken against the virus both led to social changes and became a way of preventing future epidemics. That is why it is important to examine the major epidemics that have occurred throughout history and their consequences. Epidemics show us how disease and culture are intertwined. Especially outbreaks that occur in critical times can change the course of the wars and cause migration.

The relationship triangle between society, patients and policymakers constitutes a big part of the social effects of the pandemic. How society treats patients and society’s approach toward restrictions are two major topics that should have been examined.

As can be seen around the world, many people are worried about measures violating their personal freedom. Rallies protesting the measures started in Germany and have spread all around the world, from Brazil to Finland. German demonstrators held up signs that read “End the Lockdown” and “Corona Rebels” as they participated in a protest. In a similar rally in Helsinki, the police arrested one out of every six demonstrators. The protests in Brazil against President Jair Bolsonaro’s pandemic management were no different.

After the rising number of cases in Spain and Italy, demonstrations have started to be held again in some cities against the harsh measures. Crowds who confronted the police in the city center of Italy chanted “Freedom, freedom, freedom!” These measures and restrictions brought new discussions about public health and personal freedoms, often seen as two opposing concepts. However, both need to be approached in a 

Technology on the stage

Technology has played a major role in the changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Words often heard in science fiction movies such as biometric data, surveillance technology, have become the reality of our lives today. Ever since China informed the world about the emergence of the new virus, the priority of the states has been to prevent the spread and protect public health. In this process, special characteristics data, such as identity number, name, address, workplace and travel information, were also processed.

With the spread of the virus around the world, strict measures began to be taken quickly. The first measures came in the form of restrictions on entry and exit from countries. Later, a state of emergency was declared in many countries and the bans started to expand. The scope of the restrictions expanded to curfews, closure of public spaces and limits on being outdoors based on age. Various protests were also repulsed. Another issue that entered discussions was the tools used in the fight against the virus. In particular, these tools also raised new issues regarding the use of personal data. Applications, such as citizen health information to a single type of ID card chip and thermal imaging with drones, are using technological tools on a much more personal level.

Anti-vaxxers

While the debate on masks continues, the world welcomed the vaccines with joy, thinking that all these lockdowns will end with the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine. Today, 23.2% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Around 3 billion doses have been administered globally, and 41.26 million are now being administered each day.

While we were dreaming of making a quick return to the new normal, the discussions about the anti-vaccination started flaring up. Rumors that chips are being placed in our body with the vaccination and that our movements will be monitored through them began spreading. Anti-vaxxers claim that vaccines are more dangerous than the actual disease and that governments or scientific institutions are applying the vaccine with a plan to control society. The rumors have spread rapidly, especially on social media. Opposition to vaccination is not a new debate. The idea of anti-vaccine has persisted since the 18th century when modern medicine developed. When we entered the 20th century, this opposition continued to find its arguments on the basis of rights and freedom.

After the pandemic

Technology, which has been used extensively in the fight against the epidemic, has created new discussions about personal information and privacy. It is a question of whether the same control will continue after the epidemic. Nevertheless, we know for sure that strict measures have stopped major epidemics in the past. 

Whether the measures and the technology used will become a permanent feature of our lives is yet to be seen. The best we can do now is to learn from the past and follow the coronavirus measures. This the only way, technology and social innovations will open a new chapter in our lives and carry our society to the next stage.

* Meltem Sarsilmaz is a DS staff member, master’s degree holder from the Communications Department at Marmara University