#202, Privacy
On May 1 from 11 PM to 4 AM the next day, a 29-year-old man visited five clubs and bars in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul. A few days later, on May 6, he tested positive for COVID-19. He was the first local (i.e., from Korea) infection in several days in Seoul and it is still unknown how he contracted the virus. A list was compiled with 5,517 names of the people who had attended the affected areas and the government started aggressive contact tracing.
They gathered closed-circuit TV footage (CCTV) to identify and track possible patients’ movement. They used cell phone access records to approximate whereabouts. They even procured credit card transactions to trace purchases. In South Korea, during a health crisis, citizens’ privacy is sacrificed for their protection. But is this right?
Watch this Vox video about South Korea’s coronavirus response to learn more about contact tracing (it starts at 3:07).
The question of privacy versus safety is one that rages on endlessly. There is a certain line that we all draw, but where is it exactly? Surely, none of you would like a government official to read all your text messages, view the photos on your smartphone, and comb through your Internet search history. Nor would you like TO have a government CCTV installed in your home. What is okay though? And when is it okay?
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Consider the Korean government’s current system of contact tracing. Are they violating our privacy? If yes, why? If no, how much more of your privacy would you be willing to give up for your safety?
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher