IT Blog

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) called on Monday for a pan-European mobile app to track the spread of the coronavirus instead of the current hodge-podge of apps used in various EU countries which could breach people’s privacy rights.

Faced with thousands of coronavirus-related deaths, governments across Europe have rolled out or plan to launch phone-tracking apps to trace people who came into contact with those infected and to monitor people under quarantine.

The measures have triggered criticism from data privacy activists, worried they may become permanent once the virus crisis is over.

EDPS said the use of temporary broadcast identifiers and bluetooth technology for contact tracing protected both privacy and personal data, but…