Apps helping to track coronavirus

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This episode of Tech Tent explores how technology is addressing the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on mobile tracking apps in Asia, Facebook's role in misinformation, and robotic hospital disinfectants. It highlights privacy concerns from government use of phone data, questions whether tech companies have learned from past mistakes, and examines practical robotics in healthcare. The episode also covers Apple's China recovery, new 5G radiation guidelines, and the takedown of a massive zombie botnet.

Main Topics: Mobile Phone Tracking for Coronavirus (Priority: 5/5): Governments use smartphone apps to monitor infected individuals and movements. China texts mobility data via telecoms; Korea's app reveals detailed patient info. Raises cultural privacy divides between Asia and the West. Facebook and Misinformation During Crisis (Priority: 5/5): Author Steven Levy discusses Facebook's history of prioritizing growth over safety, its vulnerability to misinformation, and its current struggle to manage coronavirus falsehoods. Reflects on 'move fast and break things' philosophy. Robotic Hospital Disinfection (Priority: 4/5): A Danish company ships UVC-light robots to China to disinfect hospitals, reducing staff exposure. Robots cost $67,000 each, production increased 3-4x. Effective against similar viruses, not yet tested specifically on coronavirus. Apple's China Operations and iPhone Sales (Priority: 3/5): Apple reopened 42 Chinese stores after a month-long shutdown. iPhone sales in China dropped to 494,000 in February 2020 from 1.2 million in 2019. Foxconn employees returned beyond expectations. New 5G Radiation Guidelines (Priority: 3/5): The radiation protection body updated guidelines, last revised in 1998, to impose tighter limits on 5G handsets due to higher frequencies. No evidence of cancer or illness from mobile networks according to the body. Takedown of Nakures Zombie Botnet (Priority: 2/5): Microsoft coordinated an eight-year, 35-country operation to take down the Nakures botnet, which infected 9 million computers. Botnets are used for remote access and malware deployment.

Key Arguments: Mark Andreowic argues that this is the first pandemic where smartphones are used for tracking, and such data collection may become normalized post-crisis, leading to long-term privacy implications. Steven Levy argues that Facebook's 'move fast and break things' culture led to systemic vulnerabilities exploited in 2016, and despite Cambridge Analytica reforms, the core data-sharing business model persists. Ingrid London argues that while tech companies have predictive power, their assistance during the crisis is a double-edged sword; post-pandemic scrutiny may return. Jane Wakefield argues that in the UK's current containment phase, the usefulness of permissive data tracking is questionable, labelling it 'surveillance capitalism'.

Data Points: iPhone sales in China (February 2020): 494,000 - Down from 1.2 million in February 2019 Apple stores reopened in China: 42 - After one month closure Cost of UVD disinfection robot: $67,000 - Each unit heading to China Production increase for UVD robots: 3-4 times - Compared to end of 2019 Computers infected by Nakures botnet: 9 million - Takedown after eight years of planning Radiation guideline last update year: 1998 - Before new 5G standards Facebook users affected by Cambridge Analytica: 87 million - From the survey by Cambridge University researcher

Pivotal Quotes: "This is the first pandemic you can access with your smartphone, and also the first one in which smartphones are being used to track people." — Mark Andreowic (Monash University): Discussing the novelty of mobile technology in pandemic response. "He felt that you could always fix it later. You can get away with it. Just apologize and move on and keep growing." — Steven Levy (author of 'Facebook the Inside Story'): Describing Mark Zuckerberg's 'move fast and break things' philosophy. "I think it's just another weird bit of surveillance capitalism that I find a little bit unnerving personally." — Jane Wakefield (BBC Technology Reporter): Commenting on government use of tracking apps during the pandemic.

Implications: The episode suggests that emergency measures like contact-tracing apps may persist post-pandemic, raising long-term privacy concerns. The tech industry's role as both solution and threat continues to evolve, with robotics offering tangible healthcare benefits while data surveillance practices face increased scrutiny.