Coronavirus accelerates China’s big data collection but privacy concerns remain
- Greater data collection has helped prevent the virus from spreading in China because it enables precise reporting of hotspots
- The rush to scoop up even more data to fight the outbreak has led to privacy breaches, especially for residents in the epicentre of Wuhan
China’s transformation into a digital economy was already well underway before the coronavirus outbreak, driven by its massive adoption of internet-based technologies, mobile apps and artificial intelligence applications.
This digitisation of everyday life has created massive amounts of quantifiable data, from internet search and shopping habits to diet and health requirements. Now the deadly outbreak, which has killed more than 2,700 people globally, has accelerated the trend.
Central and provincial governments are pushing to gather and analyse even more data to help contain the spread of the disease – and for now there seems to be little resistance as most people show sympathy towards infected patients and are more willing to sacrifice privacy for public safety.
“I have no excuse to reject requests by the authorities to share my personal data when it is done in the name of public safety,” said Wang Junyao, a 29-year-old engineer in Shenzhen, who recently returned from the US after obtaining a doctorate.
“But what about when the virus ends? Surely the conflict between data collection and privacy will only intensify.”
While real-name registration and facial recognition have become commonplace for many daily activities in China, the practices are being extended to over-the-counter purchases of medicine and all forms of public transport.