Coronavirus app raises privacy concerns in South Africa

After the South African government announced its intention to use contact tracing as part of the COVID-19 management strategy, it had to publicly assure citizens it would not spy on them. According to Quartz, the government has announced amendments to its original directive which forced telecommunications providers to grant government access to customer data, following public outcry. Nonetheless, according to these new measures, citizens will not be able to give consent or decline for their information to be included in the database. The data entered in the Tracing Database will include the names and surnames of those who have been tested for COVID-19, ID numbers, addresses, phone numbers, test results, and the details of their known and suspected contacts.