We have been big proponents of personal privacy and security in the face of the pandemic and the argument for active contact tracing. Reporting on the latest steps towards Contact Tracing by companies and governments alike and fearing that this could be a permanent infringement on our civil liberties.
We were shocked to find out that one such U.S. State is already living in this world. It was found out that post 9/11, Maine enacted such a rule. During that time the government enacted policies that monitored potential terrorists in the U.S., but because they did not know who this was, they were allowed to collect information on anyone.
Just In Case.
But due to the small security threat of Maine, police quickly used these new resources to "fight crime." Essentially labeling anyone a potential criminal.
Maine then passed a law that allowed the police to deny that they had any information on anyone, and can compile information on anyone without their knowledge. The question then is, Does this protect privacy? Or the police?
The Maine police seem to think that anyone's daily moves and cell phone data are within reason to actively monitor because they are "public information." However, in 2018 the Supreme Court rules that police must get a court warrant before collecting cell phone records, even though the movements were technically public when they occurred.
Federal Law states that any information that is collected, be destroyed with 5 years. However, Maine's law prevents anyone from knowing if this policy is being followed.
This is a perfect example of how our liberties were infringed on post 9/11 and how COVID-19's Contact Tracing has a larger impact. There is a huge potential for our privacy to be lessened in the name of the pandemic and never returned to "normal."
We fear the Privacy, Security, and Health of people everywhere. There have been early accounts of governments tracking and fining people that leave their homes, take the steps to take your privacy back.
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