Proskauer examines the legal, workplace, privacy, security, employment and civil liberty issues

WASHINGTON, DC April 28, 2020  - More countries, and local jurisdictions, are quickly charting a course that allows them to restart their economies and allows their citizens the ability to move back to some sense of normalcy. All while trying to manage a myriad of health, legal, privacy, security and civil liberty issues.

One option being discussed to track those who are infected, those who have had the virus and those who may be most exposed involves the use of electronic monitoring and surveillance systems.

This week the Australian Government unveiled an app for smart phones called Covidsafe which will track users and gauge their proximity to other users and will ‘help state and territory health officials to quickly contact people who may have been exposed to COVID-19’. 

In addition, a number of companies and organizations are looking at the regular, or random, testing of employees for the COVID-19 virus as they return to their work places. This could involve various forms of testing and monitoring including swabs, blood testing and body scans. Should an individual test positive they would be sent home and this would be disclosed.

“The introduction of electronic monitoring, like we are seeing in Australia, and is being contemplated in other jurisdictions brings with it a host of legal, workplace, privacy, security, employment and civil liberty issues,” said Ryan Blaney, a Washington, D.C.-based partner whose practice focuses on data privacy, cybersecurity, health care, and emerging technologies.

Ryan has studied the issues involved and the ramifications of this kind of monitoring and random testing. He is available for interviews to discuss these and related issues.

To book an interview please contact Stephen Hastings, or Jennifer Talbott.

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