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China's government has asked the tech industry in their country to step up and use their new technologies with helping cull and control the outbreak of corona virus. There have been technologies such as the use of drones and robots to detect if anyone has a fever, and upgrading the widespread facial recognition cameras to also detect fevers, and people not wearing masks. Temperature detection software usage has also been increasing, as one company, SenseTime says they have had their software deployed at many public locations. There have also been some phone applications that apparently can identify potential virus carriers and WeChat also has the functionality to tell if the user has been in close contact with a virus carrier. This has brought up some issues of privacy, as it allows China to fix the holes in their already widespread surveillance of their population. Personal health data has been reported to have been leaked, and people fear these apps and technologies could cause more widespread fear and discrimination.
However, this also leads to opportunity for both outside and chinese companies to help develop devices similar to these as the market will inevitably grow with the spread of coronavirus to other countries. We still need to wait and see whether these technologies are effective in containing the spread of coronavirus and whether they can be implemented elsewhere to also help combat the spread.
Questions for discussion:
1. Do you think the technology implemented will be effective?
2. Is the issue of privacy something that the Chinese should be concerned about?
3. What are the implications of such technology outside of detection for this outbreak?
Although I do believe that the implementation of technology could help contain the outbreak of the coronavirus, I don't believe it should be done so at the sake of people's privacy. People have the right to privacy, which includes their personal health information. If there is a solution to this that is able to help contain the virus and not compromise people's privacy, I would be supportive of the implementation of technology against the coronavirus.
ReplyDeleteWhile technology could be developed to help lessen the spread of the coronavirus, I am skeptical about their effectiveness. I think that everyone should be concerned about the privacy implications about these new technologies, not just Chinese citizens, because these technologies could be used to single out a specific demographic with claims of being for the public’s good. Like Nathan said, if there is a way to implement technologies to help fight against the spread of COVID-19, I would support it, but I would hesitate to rely solely on technology.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, this type of technology could be helpful and effective in detecting the spread of the coronavirus, I don't think that it should be used due to the invasion of privacy. If this technology were to be used, it would violate people's right to privacy by releasing personal health data. I do think that China should be focused on the issue of privacy because it is important for every person to have privacy whether it be medical records or health records. I do not think that this type of technology should be used to detect things outside of this outbreak unless it is completely necessary. It would be necessary if another outbreak of a virus happened, but as of now, this technology shouldn't be used. Since it does use surveillance, the right of privacy would be a bigger issue if the implications of this technology would be used for other purposes.
ReplyDeleteAt this point with how widespread the virus is in China, I think most technological advancements in easily identifying those who possibly could have the virus would have a minimal effect in limiting the spread of the virus. There are technologies that can read your temperature based off of a thermal image and from that deduce whether or not you are likely to have an illness, but doesn't target COVID-19 specifically so it helps but not an enormous amount especially considering people can be carrying the virus before showing symptoms. Regarding privacy in China, China is not a country known for its freedoms. Censorship and government surveillance is nothing new in China which is something that I think is wrong and something China should move away from, but there is no way they are going to while facing a mass health crisis.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite an interesting approach to containing the coronavirus. This technology will most likely only marginally monitor and contain the spread of the coronavirus since there are simply too many variables to consider. That being said, it may be quite concerning to the public if facial recognition and private information becomes even more widespread in the form of these robots. I would imagine that the government is taking advantage of this crisis in order to obtain vast arrays of information from panicked citizens. However, the main concern will continue to revolve around the current pandemic and what the repercussions may be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the comments so far, and especially with Nathan and Daniel. I don't personally believe that this will create a large impact containment wise. Advancements in technology to breach privacy isn't productive I don't believe in the long run and may prove concern afterwards. I do infact believe in daniel's statement that the government may take advantage of the crisis to constitute more power as well as in data collection. Technological innovation rather is what I believe can prove productive during this time.
ReplyDeleteI think the implementation of this technology is fine. Chinese facial recognition has already deprived its citizens of their rights to privacy, so I don't see the issue in a few robots checking for fever. However, I think the Chinese government needs to take greater action than just asking a few companies to make robots that check for fever. This won't solve the root of the problem. The Chinese government needs to start regulating the markets. There is still a lasting belief around eating certain animals to improve one's body. This mentality leads to poaching and, of course, the coronavirus. More must be done on the regulatory front, not just the technological one.
ReplyDeleteI think the technology implemented will be effective, especially in China where most of the coronavirus cases have been reported/was where it started. This technology could would at least help in (possibly) identifying those with the virus, further decreasing the spread of it. However, do agree with the idea that this is an invasion of their (already lacking) privacy. This would allow the government and authorities more access into the peoples lives - Is it completely necessary in this situation? That is maybe the real question. As far as the implications of such technology outside of detection of the outbreak, I don't think it can be assumed until proven. Currently at least, officials are still ambiguous as to the cause of this outbreak so this new technology being implemented otherwise, depends on new findings.
ReplyDeleteI believe the technology will be more effective than doing nothing. Considering there are already a multitude of privacy violations on the daily, I do not believe risking a bit of privacy for safety and health of the country and other countries should be a huge considerations unless the privacy violations are unnecessarily overbearing. Outside of the outbreak, this kind of technology could be beneficial to the medical field, but may lead to excessive technology, but that's nothing new in our world.
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe that we need to be doing everything we can to stop COVID-19 from spreading, and technology is an effective way of doing so. Many medical personal are putting themselves at risk by treating patients, and if we could substitute them with technology, I think we should. I also believe the government should be getting involved as much as it can because of how contagious this virus is. In order to save the most people, everyone needs to work together to stop it from spreading.
ReplyDeleteI honestly have no idea if the technology will be effective. I think the scanning for symptoms like a fever will be accurate, but being able to detect a microscopic organism as people are walking by? I’m not so sure. Especially with how fast it was created. Privacy should be a concern, but I feel like China would put safety above privacy, unlike the US. I’m a bit scared of how this detection technology will be used after the outbreak, especially with not really knowing how accurate it is.
ReplyDeleteI am honestly unsure of this technology and whether it will be effective in helping to limit the coronavirus. I agree with Abby in my doubts in the accuracy and accountability in these softwares. What is the rate of misdiagnosis for this kind of technology? I feel like the world needs to be working on a more centralized way of identifying coronavirus patients instead of creating flashy technology that seems to only be causing more hysteria. People are trying to hold on to what little privacy they have, and medical records being released is definitely a valid concern for not just those in China, but everywhere. Technology does have the ability to be effective, but I feel it should be much more focused towards more efficient testing kits rather than random screenings on the street.
ReplyDeleteThough I am unsure of whether this tech is going to be useful or not, I believe that it cannot hurt. Any effort to contain the spread of the virus should be encouraged at this stage in the outbreak. Privacy is an important consideration and should be taken into account by all the companies that are developing technology. If the tech is sufficiently streamlined so that it only detects if the person has the coronavirus, then there can be no complaint about a violation of privacy as this is a necessary action that needs to be taken to contain the spread of the virus.
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