, Columnist
The Price of Covid Freedom May Be Eternal Spying
The loss of privacy to individuals once their data is on contact-tracing apps will spread far beyond public health.
Big Brother has some new friends to keep you safe.
Photographer: Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto/Getty
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Much of our pre-coronavirus lives may be reclaimable with some modifications around how we work, socialize and travel. In one crucial way, though, the post-pandemic landscape will be very different: The individual’s autonomy over her data may be lost forever. Our mobiles will keep us safe — by spying on us.
This will have important consequences for the relationship not just between citizens and governments, but also between consumers and businesses.