From QR codes to social media, four ways China tracks Covid-19

ID and phone numbers are being scooped up in big data systems designed to help China track potential contact with coronavirus cases

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Many neighborhoods in China check health codes before letting people pass. Other checkpoints include public transportation, offices and other public facilities. (Picture: Handout)

Xinmei Shen

Published: 8:00am, 14 Apr 2020Updated: 8:00am, 14 Apr 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

China isn’t the only country using technology to track people who might have come into close contact with Covid-19. In a rare partnership, Google and Apple said that they will work together to build a system for Covid-19 contact tracing using Bluetooth.

While the new system has faced criticism and raised privacy concerns, the companies promise it won’t allow people to be identified. But in China, where the government has been criticized for containment measures seen as draconian, people had little say in technological solutions that have been rolled out on a large scale. These solutions have been far from transparent and largely rely on users giving up personal information.

Here’s a look at four pieces of technology that became a normal part of daily life in China.

Tagging public transport with QR codes

QR codes are a common sight in China. Now they’re being used to track exactly which bus or train carriage people have been in.

Shanghai Metro, for instance, put QR codes on subway train windows. By scanning the QR code, the system identifies the train compartment a passenger is in. It also records their phone number so people can be alerted if they’re found to have been in the same compartment with confirmed cases. Pictures that Shanghai Metro posted on Weibo show that the information is registered with the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission.

Shanghai Metro passengers can use Alipay, WeChat or Gaode Map to scan QR codes on train windows. (Picture: Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission)

However, it’s not clear how many people actually scan the QR codes because the process remains largely voluntary. Similar QR code systems are also used in other cities on buses, which seem to be stricter about it. Bus drivers or bus attendants in some cities ask passengers to scan a QR code when getting on.

From QR codes to social media, four ways China tracks Covid-19

ID and phone numbers are being scooped up in big data systems designed to help China track potential contact with coronavirus cases

Tagging public transport with QR codes

Red, yellow and green personal health codes