Why We Should Worry About Big Tech’s COVID Tracking Plans

Google and Apple’s invasive tools cannot replace human contact tracers and will continue to harm civil liberties long after the virus subsides.

By Jeff Hauser, Sarah Miller, and Daniel E. Stevens

Apple and Google are forging ahead with their COVID-19 contact tracing tools, and many are welcoming them as a key factor in efforts to emerge from our national lockdown. But the companies’ past behavior — and their business models — raises the prospect that their new technology could lead to an unprecedented level…