Test and Trace is a privacy nightmare and a public health risk

Responding to the Sky News report that the check-in data from hundreds of millions of people who visited pubs, restaurants, and hairdressers between lockdowns was barely used by England’s ‘Test and Trace’ programme, Jim Killock, the Executive Director of Open Rights Group, said: 

“The Government has repeatedly denied that it has any responsibilities for the data collected. Now we find out that they are not even making use of the data properly. Businesses who are struggling to stay open may even find themselves at risk of legal action as a result of the data they collected in good faith.

“Government needs to place this scheme on a secure legal footing immediately.

“As lockdown eases, the Test and Trace system will once again come under strain. Poor oversight means that it is both a data protection nightmare and a public health risk. Government must commit to either collecting and using this data properly, or not at all.”

Notes to the editor

Exclusive Report by Sky News on COVID App Test and Trace Data: https://news.sky.com/story/test-and-trace-barely-used-check-in-data-from-pubs-and-restaurants-with-thousands-not-warned-of-infection-risk-12235392