Greens councillor labels COVID tracing device a ‘surveillance app’

A Brisbane Greens councillor has slammed the COVID-19 tracing app, saying that while he doesn’t believe there’s a conspiracy, “history shows us that just because something is introduced for one reason, doesn’t mean it won’t be repurposed for other uses later.”

MAVERICK Greens councillor Jonathan Sri has sensationally opposed the Federal Government’s coronavirus tracing app referring to it as a “surveillance app”.

The Councillor for the central Brisbane ward of The Gabba told his followers on Facebook he would “definitely not” be installing the app.

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Cr Sri described the app as “a tool of state surveillance”.

“Let’s not close our eyes to that,” he said. “Yes, it is being justified on health and safety grounds, but so are pretty much all surveillance measures.

“I don’t believe there’s a government conspiracy to use the data for other purposes. I believe that right now, the politicians and government officials implementing this genuinely don’t intend to use it for law enforcement and population control. But history shows us that just because something is introduced for one reason, doesn’t mean it can’t and won’t be repurposed for other uses later.”

Cr Sri's post on Facebook

The app has been widely embraced across the nation since its release last night with more than 1.3 million Australians downloading the COVIDSafe app by this morning.

Cr Sri’s Federal counterparts on both sides of politics in Griffith and Bonner have meanwhile said they have downloaded and activated the app and encouraged its use.

Liberal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said the use of the app would help to move more quickly to reduce restrictions than would otherwise be possible.

“Without the assistance of technology, finding people who may have been exposed to the virus relies on people being able to recall who they have been around and knowing the details of every individual they have been in close contact with,” Mr Vasta said.

Labor Member for Griffith Terri Butler acknowledged the wider community’s concerns about privacy but said the benefits outweighed issues with the app.

“It is up to the Government to make clear what they will do to protect the information gathered via the app and protect users’ privacy,” Ms Butler said.

“Despite those concerns my view is that if using the app has the potential to prevent new infections then I am happy to use it.”

The app helps stop further spread of coronavirus through early notification of possible exposure by using Bluetooth on phones to log the date, time and proximity of other users you contact. Your location however is not recorded.

The Government has said it needs 40 per cent of Australians, 10 million people, for the app to be effective.

Cr Sri said it was disappointing that much of the conversation about privacy and data security had distracted from other equally important conversations about expanding state control and interference in our lives.

“One of the most interesting aspects of the public debate about the contact tracing app is how it has been framed as a question of ‘personal privacy’ vs ‘civic duty to help preserve collective safety’,” he said.

“Many of the public health grounds used to justify the introduction of this app will remain relevant for several years to come. COVID-19 is not going to be eradicated entirely from the planet any time soon, and there may well be other viral pandemics in future.

“So although this is described as a temporary measure, it’s foreseeable that future versions of disease control contact tracing apps will become a more permanent fixture of society if this initial trial is embraced uncritically.

“We need to ask ourselves whether we are comfortable with contact-tracking technology becoming a routine part of our lives indefinitely.”