Former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman calls on UK govt to legally protect data from contact-tracing apps
- Reference: 1589963171
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/20/uk_contact_tracing_protections/
- Source link:
Earlier this month, the joint committee published a [1]draft bill that attempts to define a framework for how data gathered by the NHS's contact-tracing app is used, stored, and governed.
If approved, this bill would ensure data collected is used exclusively for the purposes of limiting the spread of COVID-19, and would be deleted at the end of the pandemic. It also mandates the creation of a "contact-tracing tzar" who would be responsible for the day-to-day handling of governance and complaints.
NHS contact tracing app isn't really anonymous, is riddled with bugs, and is open to abuse. Good thing we're not in the middle of a pandemic, eh? [2]READ MORE
"We don't want the system to rely on the individual integrity of any minister, or any ministerial team, or any government. That's not the way to protect rights. The way to have protections is through law," Harman said.
"A minister's letter is not legal protection. It's not the framework within which public agencies work," she later added.
Harman earlier described the current data protection legislation – which includes the Data Protection Act of 2018, GDPR, case law, and the European Convention on Human Rights – as a "tangle of law" that's "wholly inadequate" for the scope of the problem.
The joint committee's bill would take an implementation-agnostic view of things, and would apply to contact-tracing apps that are centralised in their approach (such as the [3]app under development by NHSX ) or decentralised (like that envisioned by [4]Google and Apple ).
"Whether they use a centralised version or a decentralised version, these principles of protection should be in place," she said.
[5]Academics and [6]privacy campaigners have both written open letters to the government to voice worries about the design choice of thre app and the central database where citizens' information will be stored.
Enthusiasm for the bill in government, however, is seemingly muted. Harman claims she raised the matter with health secretary Matt Hancock on 7 May, but is yet to hear a response.
She has also asked Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg for exceptional permission to introduce her proposed legislation as a private member's bill. This itself presents several challenges as there's currently no mechanism for opposition MPs and backbenchers to introduce private legislation, as a result of the disruption caused by the pandemic.
One approach will see her introduce the proposed legislation as a presentation bill. This will allow her to put forth the joint committee's bill to Parliament, but without the guarantee of a debate.
Speaking to The Register , Harman emphasised that the introduction of the joint committee's bill wouldn't necessarily delay the rollout of any contact-tracing app.
"We legislated the emergency powers very quickly," she said. "And actually, you know, I think that there is a very strong agreement that testing, tracing, and isolating is the way forward if we're not to be in lockdown indefinitely."
With Parliament temporarily in disarray as it adjusts to this brave new world of governing, it's unclear whether there's a future for the bill proposed by the joint committee. The current situation, [7]combined with the new "hybrid" Parliament , has meant there's scarce bandwidth for new legislation and debate.
Regardless of what happens, one thing is for certain: Harman says she'll download the NHS contact-tracing app – albeit, perhaps, reluctantly. ®
[1] https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/human-rights-committee/news-parliament-2017/covid-contact-tracing-app-draft-bill-19-21/
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/14/nhs_contact_tracing_app/
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/05/uk_coronavirus_app/
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/28/uk_coronavirus_google_apple_api/
[5] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/29/academics_open_letter_nhs_coronavirus_app/
[6] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/19/covid19_nhs_data_store_open_letter/
[7] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/22/no_virtual_zoom_backgrounds_warns_house_of_commons/
Re: "A minister's letter is not legal protection"
Maybe not, but it's the only kind that can be provided by law.
Re: "A minister's letter is not legal protection"
The law can require that the fetishists don't collect the data. Then it doesn't need to protect it.
Re: "A minister's letter is not legal protection"
It was interesting when I looked as the Oxford University app. I am somewhat anally retentive abuout EULA so I downloaded theirs. Oh, yes, lots of happy-clappy statements about how safe the data was, how it won't be misused etc. And then it came to who they will share data with:
Amazon
AWS
MailChimp (and here comes the spam)
....
This list goes on. Unfortunately, I can't find it in the app store to confirm all of this. But safe to say, I was extremely concerned.
Oh what a tangled web we weave!
A fine change of tune from Labour after clamouring for years for every scrap of information on the general populace they could possibly get their grubby little hands on. Admittedly, Harperson wasn't in the forefront of the data fetishists but she rarely spoke up against the likes of Smith and Burnham.
Trust == 0; You burnt all those bridges during the NuLabour years and we're now all too well aware of the dangers of letting even a trusted government amass information as the regime could change in a heartbeat. In short, too little, too late and your pious bleating in favour of libertarianism now rings hollow.
Can you imagine the fall-out of Wurzel Corbyn with the power of GCHQ at his disposal? Cripes!
As for the contact tracing app, it's doomed to failure anyway. Remember those ticky-box forms about why spam control measures were utterly useless from days of yore? That.
"Your solution relies on a) everyone acting in the same way at the same time b) why should we trust you anyway?"
"Furthermore, this is what I think of you:" I dare not tick any of these given the woke thought police climate.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
"Doing the right thing" is "doing the right thing" no matter what wrong has been done before.
No matter what charges of hypocrisy, past failure, inaction, sins of the father, there may be; it's still the right thing to do.
The only salvation for past wrongs is in doing right, and that should wholeheartedly be encouraged, not condemned.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
No one involved in Nuliebour can ever do enough good to redeem what they have done.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
"Doing the right thing" is "doing the right thing" - indeed. However, This is just a career politician "saying" the right thing in the face of her voting history (23 times 'for' ID cards, once 'for' Mass surveillance) whilst being the Solicitor General & Minister for Constitutional affairs, positions that have quite a bearing on government policy towards public privacy.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10260/harriet_harman/camberwell_and_peckham/votes
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
Harperson ? Who is Harperson ? The article is about Harriet Harman.
If you want to rant, it would be really useful to at least seem like you know what you're talking about.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
A rather weak joke regarding political correctness; man -> person
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
You really didn't need to explain that.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
Not sure if serious...? I suppose this happens with international audiences.
At one point during Labour's last tenure Ms Harman was associated as a promoter of "Political Correctness gone mad". Consequently it seemed wrong to call her Harriet Har man since that was clearly sexist and furthered the oppressive patriarchy. So Harriet Harperson became a nickname in some quarters.
Much like "Petty Patel" or "Priti Awful" (for our current death-sentence loving Home Sec), Tony Bliar (no luck catching them WMDs then?" ... "It's just the one WMD actually"), etc, etc.
Re: Oh what a tangled web we weave!
Whatever the lady may have said in the past, is she wrong on this occasion? That surely is the point here hmm..? How about doing something truly revolutionary and address the points in the article - whataboutery contributes nothing to constructive debate. On this occasion (and yes I myself am absolutely no fan of Ms Harman) the lady has an important point that surely deserves support from those of us who are very concerned about the way the current emergency is being exploited governments salivating at the prospect of the amount of data they can gather on their citizens - supported by the big private enterprise data harvesters - I am sure I do not need to list the names of these companies.
Meanwhile we've got a clear indication of how much competence is going to be devoted to preserving privacy. Serco emailed 300 trainee tracers with CC.
Licence to litigate
The way to have protections is through law.
Is it? Is it really? I would suggest the best way to have protection is by design, so that the data exchange and retention are minimised. If (When) the breach occurs, then the information isn't that useful against individuals.
All the data breaches over the recent past have rarely given anything back to the victims, but the lawyers always seem to do very nicely thank you very much. I'm reminded that NuLabour were headed up by lawyers, and I suspect the new lot have similar backgrounds, or mates.
Re: Is it really
Is it really indeed. The USA has a bunch of laws that protect individual privacy, but the NSA routinely runs roughshod over all that, and the FBI gleefully follows suit.
Laws are worth nothing if you don't have people in the right positions that know and do their job to protect citizens.
And there appears to be a dearth of that kind of human being these days.
The PIE lady knows best
Just ignore anything which comes up when you Google Harman PIE.
Wrong demand
She should be demanding that the app does not store and forward personal data. Not requesting better protection for that data once in government hands.
Re: Wrong demand
Correct. Doesn't matter what protections are in the law, it is proven that the Government will abuse what ever they have.
Wow
I am amazed that seat warmer is still around, never mind sharing an opinion on anything. She is no better than the current data fetishists and the lot need to have their entire lives dumped in public so they can see why its such a bad idea.
Re: Wow
I think she's just woken up.
"A minister's letter is not legal protection"
And legal protection is not actual protection.