The Covid19 pandemic has caused new challenges for governments, society and data protection agencies. To prevent a massive outbreak while allowing people to get on with their pre-pandemic life again, many EU governments have decided to make contact tracing, symptom tracking and compliance enforcement apps available to the public. quarantine, and in some cases, mandatory.
As part of a joint project, Rights International Spain, together with other members of the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, has submitted requests for the right of access to public information in nine EU Member States to evaluate and compare the solutions adopted by them in relation to contact tracing, symptom tracking and quarantine compliance applications from a data protection perspective.
Contact tracing, symptom tracking, and quarantine enforcement apps should only be used if proven effective for stated purposes and on a voluntary basis by evidence. The principles established in data protection laws, such as the European Union Regulation on the Protection of Personal Data (GDPR) should govern these applications.