With experts warning that the Coronavirus pandemic may last well into next year, the urgency of limiting the spread of the virus is sure to increase. Cellphone and social media data will increasingly be viewed as a valuable source of information for public health authorities, as they seek to identify outbreaks in communities more quickly, rapidly warn people that they may have been exposed to the virus, or enforce quarantining orders. Israel has implemented a system that involves the collection and use of cellphone location data to identify at-risk individuals, who may receive text messages warning that they need to self-quarantine. That system has been challenged at the Israeli Supreme Court, which last week rejected elements of the plan and established a requirement of Israeli parliament approval for the measures. Tel Aviv University law professor Michael Birnhack joins me on the podcast to discuss the details of the measures and the civil liberties and democratic concerns they raise, even at a time of global crisis.
Post Tagged with: "cellphone"
Report Finds Canada Most Expensive Data Roaming Country in the OECD
Surprise cellphone roaming bills are a frequent occurrence in Canada as consumers are often shocked to find bills in the thousands of dollars for data roaming when they travel outside the country. A new OECD report helps the explain the reason why – Canadians face the highest data roaming costs […]
How Telco Lobby Helped Kill Consumer Cell Phone Cost Calculator
Appeared in the Toronto Star on August 31, 2009 as Telco Lobby Helped Block Cellphone Cost Calculator Last week I discussed the well-known challenge faced by millions of Canadians as they sort through a myriad of cellphone pricing plans in a marketplace still lacking in robust competition. Previously unreported, however, […]
Cellphone Spectrum Set-Aside Simply Step One
Appeared in the Toronto Star on December 3, 2007 as Cellphone Spectrum Auction Only First Step Following months of intense telecom lobbying, Industry Minister Jim Prentice took to the podium last week at a Toronto hotel and unveiled the government's policy on the forthcoming spectrum auction. Dismissing misleading claims of […]
Cellphone Confusion
Peter Nowak of CBC.ca covers the marketplace confusion over cellphone plans.
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