Vietnam’s contact-tracing app: Public health tool or creeping surveillance?
Vietnam has been lauded for its robust response in containing Covid-19, part of which has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone. But tech experts are expressing concern over how the masses of data collected will impact the privacy of users
Independent media, academics and governments alike have lavished praise on the Vietnamese government for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with mass quarantines, effective public health messaging, a focused testing regime and uncharacteristic transparency all applauded.
The Bluezone contact-tracing app appears to be the Communist Party’s latest success story, having been downloaded more than 20 million times and used to trace 1,400 people suspected of infection, according to state media – an efficiency that stands in contrast to the well-documented failings of similar efforts in wealthier nations like the UK.
However, tech experts fear the app has fatal data privacy flaws and contend that it can be used by the state to harvest far more information on users than its developers claim is possible.
The app, developed by leading Vietnamese internet security company Bkav and the Ministry of Information and Communications, was launched in April to little fanfare and garnered only about 100,000 downloads initially.
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/bluezone-contact-tracing-app/
#Asia #Vietnam #covidapp #surveillance
Vietnam has been lauded for its robust response in containing Covid-19, part of which has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone. But tech experts are expressing concern over how the masses of data collected will impact the privacy of users
Independent media, academics and governments alike have lavished praise on the Vietnamese government for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with mass quarantines, effective public health messaging, a focused testing regime and uncharacteristic transparency all applauded.
The Bluezone contact-tracing app appears to be the Communist Party’s latest success story, having been downloaded more than 20 million times and used to trace 1,400 people suspected of infection, according to state media – an efficiency that stands in contrast to the well-documented failings of similar efforts in wealthier nations like the UK.
However, tech experts fear the app has fatal data privacy flaws and contend that it can be used by the state to harvest far more information on users than its developers claim is possible.
The app, developed by leading Vietnamese internet security company Bkav and the Ministry of Information and Communications, was launched in April to little fanfare and garnered only about 100,000 downloads initially.
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/bluezone-contact-tracing-app/
#Asia #Vietnam #covidapp #surveillance
Southeast Asia Globe
Vietnam’s contact-tracing app: Public health tool or creeping surveillance?
Part of Vietnam's lauded Covid-response has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone, but tech experts hold concerns over privacy