Survey: Americans distrust contact-tracing apps but are willing to use them for the greater good

Comments

• L L
  2020-05-25 00:14:02

  I do not trust people handling the data. It is all sugar coated now because tech is trying to lure you into that 'fuzzy warm' feeling. Once the dam is broken and COVID-19 is eliminated. The data gathering will not end. Government and the big tech companies will follow you and share information. Look at WAZE now. When you get off a highway and are waiting at a traffic light, an ad will appear telling you where the nearest Dunkin Donuts, Wendy's, etc. are. The government/big tech can not be trusted. Someone will breach their data and use it to see where you live, who you associate with and your comings and goings. South Korea has already given up their liberty/privacy. Our Constitution is different. We do not need to be 'like' other countries.

• D Dave
  2020-05-25 07:41:15

  Maybe 59% of Americans would allow "contact tracing" because of false statements like this: "But Americans realize that these are unprecedented times and require complex, out-of-the-box solutions." No, it is not "unprecedented times": COVID-19 is less deadly than the ongoing normal flu season. Fact. It does not "require complex, out-of-the-box solutions." It requires the same precautions taken during any flu season: do what your mom told you and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands. Nothing "out-of-the-ordinary" to do. Masks do not "keep you safe." "Social distancing" is a farce.

  • D Dave
    2020-05-25 07:52:06

    "Despite the potential loss of privacy via contact-tracing apps, 59% of survey respondents indicated a willingness to forgo some of their rights for the sake of public health." Then those fools deserve what they'll get, or better said, reap what they sow. "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)"

• K KarenO
  2020-05-28 18:34:34

  Sure...I trust Big Brother...like I trust Satan.

• R Root
  2020-06-06 00:59:43

  If the public is willing to accept this now because of COVID-19, it will never end. Just like Americans were willing to surrender some of their personal liberties after the 9/11 terror attacks (bills like the Patriot Act giving the government new expanded surveillance powers and the ability to take away due process and suspend habeas corpus from American citizens "suspected of terrorism" still exist and are now abused by the government today.) If the government makes a law that in any way allows (or worse, forces) this "contact tracing", it will not end. People will get used to it and just accept it and eventually younger generations will just accept the government oppression. The public cannot and should not support this. Do not download any such apps to your devices... you're not only giving away your personal privacy, you're also making it an acceptable practice that will further limit the rights of future generations. On the plus side, if they do mandate this: I can't wait to walk around with my high power Bluetooth receiver and hack some phones. Bluetooth is already insecure... couple that with a mandated "contact tracing" app? Lol. My location is always spoofed (when it isn't disabled outright.) Thus I'd be poisoning the pool with fake data. In fact... it wouldn't be hard to make an app that purposely spoofs Bluetooth MACs and locations to walk around fuzzing a bunch of fake data from your pocket. It would be even cooler to hack into nearby phones via Bluetooth and turn them into fuzzy nodes as well haha. Actually... no need to hack anything. Just tell people they have the wrong app and they're supposed to download and install this other (malicious) one instead. The only acceptable way for this "contact tracing" app idea to work would be to have an open source app that records your GPS time and location data and saves it to the local device only (which means, no contacting Google, Facebook, etc.) Then if a person gets infected, they can offer their location data that is saved on their device. This is the only way this can work without killing more of our rights to privacy. Something like this app: https://github.com/y20k/trackbook But honestly... (stupid) people willing to install a government/google tracking app will just do that and go about their stupid activities. They don't care either way... unless they get sick, most people won't care. So having this "contact tracing" data available to the public will not help them because they won't bother to make use of it (unless they get sick.) Those worried about getting sick (pre-existing conditions) should stay at home as much as possible.

• J Jajjaj
  2020-06-08 01:22:22

  ggggggg