The coronavirus pandemic should not be used as an excuse to introduce invasive technologies and to force the entire population of Malta and Gozo to be monitored continuously through their mobile devices. Ralph Cassar, AD Secretary General said: “It is worrying that in the space of barely a month, in parliament, on some media outlets and now during an official PN press conference, entrepreneur MP Ivan Bartolo has been peddling mass surveillance technology and wearable geolocation devices on the pretext that it will contain the corona virus pandemic. He is making the assumption that what is possible through technology is inherently right. It is not.”
“It is not right to create panic and paranoia, it is not right to collect massive amounts of data about people’s whereabouts, who they hang out with and their daily routine. There are other ways based on trust building, and on providing accessible public services to tackle crises. Why should we trust that the data collected is used responsibly? Why should people be made to wear, buy or used technological devices provided by the state? What guarantees are there such that such blanket surveillance will not become a new normal and used for other purposes? Who will own people’s personal data? People should be trusted and helped to do the right thing rather than forced into technological servitude. The quick fix, over the top proposals by Bartolo and the PN are every totalitarian regime’s wet dream. It is evident that generally in Malta, there exists a spirit of cooperation on the public’s part to control the pandemic. This means that the introduction of measures which sow the seeds of suspicion and impinge on fundamental rights are uncalled for. Such measures would breach the relationship of trust between health authorities and the public and may have long lasting repercussions.”
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Bl-insistenza kontinwa tiegħu fuq sorveljanza tal-massa l-PN qisu qed jitħajjar minn reġimi totalitarji
Il-pandemija tal-corona virus m’għandhiex tintuża bħala skuża biex il-gvern jimponi teknoloġiji spija u biex jpoġġi taħt sorveljanza u monitoraġġ kontinwu l-popolazzjoni ta’ Malta u Għawdex kollha permezz tat-teknoloġija diġitali u t-telefonija. Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ AD Ralph Cassar:”F’anqas minn xahar, fil-parlament, fuq xi mezzi tax-xandir, u issa waqt konferenza stampa uffiċċjali tal-PN, l-imprenditur u MP Ivan Bartolo repetutament imbotta teknoloġija tas-sorveljanza tal-massa u anke apparat ta’ sorveljanza li jintlibes ta’ bilfors min-nies. Dan kollu bl-iskuża tal-imxija tal-virus corona. Qed jassumi li għax dawn l-affarijiet huma possibbli teknoloġikament allura huma aċċettabbli. Qed donnu jinsa li mhux kull m’huwa possibbli huwa aċċettabbli.”
“Mhux aċċettabbli li jinħoloq il-paniku u l-paranoia, mhux aċċettabbli li tinġabar ammont kbir u dettaljata ta’ data fuq l-individwi, fosthom data dwar ma’ min qed jiltaqgħu, lil min ikellmu u kif iqattgħu l-ġurnata tagħhom. Hemm metodi oħra ibbażati fuq ċittadinanza tajba, fuq servizzi aċċessibbli u fuq l-bini ta’ fiduċja bejn in-nies ta’ kif il-pandemija qed tiġi kontrollata. X’garanziji għandna li d-data miġbura tintuża b’mod responsabbli? Min huwa s-sid ta’ din id-data dettaljata? Xi dritt għandhom l-awtoritajiet li jġiegħlu lin-nies jinstallaw apps fuq il-mobile tagħhom? Kulħadd bilfors irid ikollu u juża mobile? Hemm verament il-bżonn li l-awtoritajiet iġiegħlu lin-nies jilbsu apparat ta’ moniteraġġ u sorveljanza? X’garanziji hemm li sorveljanza tal-massa ma ssirx xi ħaġa normali u aċċettata, jew li tintuża għal affarijiet oħra? In-nies għandhom ikunu fdati u mgħejjuna, mhux stigmatizzati u sorveljati l-ħin kollu fuq skala kbira. In-nies mhux ilsiera tat-teknoloġija mħaddma la mill-istat u lanqas minn kumpaniji privati. Is-soluzzjonijiet li jidhru faċli filfatt jistgħu jkunu għodda perikoluża. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li l-aktar pajjiżi li jużaw is-sorveljanza tal-massa fuq skala kbira huma r-reħimi totalitarji. Id-distopja ta’ Ivan Bartolo u tal-PN għandhom jitwarrbu. Mill-evidenza dwar il-pandemija f’Mallta jidher biċ-ċar li b’mod ġenerali hemm kooperazzjoni mill-pubbliku. Malta għandha strateġija li qed taħdem. Dan ifisser li m’għandniex għalfejn inniedu miżuri li jiżirgħu is-suspett, u jisirqu drittijiet fundamentali b’riperkussjomijiet li jistgħu ikunu fit-tul.”
