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Lack of privacy oversight could hurt buy-in for COVID contact-tracing app, say critics
By Aidan Chamandy July 2, 2020
'I get we're in a pandemic, and I'm very supportive of using the technology, but until I know that it respects the basic rights and has the highest standards, I can't see that it's going to work,' said NDP MP Charlie Angus.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner and NDP MP Charlie Angus say they are wary of the federal government's approach to the new contact-tracing app. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade
As a new national app to help trace the contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 prepares for a test rollout in Ontario, opposition MPs say it hasn’t been sufficiently scrutinized by the federal and provincial privacy commissioners and that Canada’s privacy laws don’t provide enough protection for users, which could lead to a lack of trust in the app that will hurt its potential efficacy.
Aidan ChamandyAidan Chamandy is a reporter covering federal policy and parties for The Hill Times.
Follow - achamandy@hilltimes.com
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