Data Protection Law & Covid-19: An Observatory

Many data-driven measures have been discussed amidst the Covid-19 outbreak, raising a variety of issues related to data protection law – a key guarantee for the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms and the rule of law. The Data Protection Law & Covid-19 Observatory is a collaborative monitoring platform which regularly documents data protection law resources related to the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance from public authorities such as data protection authorities (DPAs). The Observatory was launched on 17 March 2020 and is maintained as part of the project 'DATA-DRIVEN APPROACHES TO COVID-19 & DATA PROTECTION LAW (DPL X COVID19)'. The current structure covers several thematic areas, with a global scope but European focus.

The people behind the initiative:

DPLxCOVID19 project promotors and Observatory initiators: LSTS Directors Prof. Gloria González Fuster and Prof. Mireille Hildebrandt

Coordinator: Olga Gkotsopoulou, Danaja Fabcic Povse

Contributors: Laura Drechsler, Istvan Borocz (page on body temperature measurement), Daniela Galatova (page on the EU Covid Certificate Framework)

To explore the Observatory resources, please scroll down.

** A previous version of the Observatory (as of April 2020) can be found here.

EU and international institutional developments related to Covid-19

Body temperature measurement in the COVID-19 context

Use of location, mobility and telecom data

Other data-driven approaches to COVID-19

European DPAs and national resources on Covid-19

Digital certificates for vaccination, test and recovery

Contact tracing apps

Covid-19 scientific research and data protection

LSTS resources

Relevant research projects

the Brussels Privacy Hub (BPH) work on data protection in humanitarian action;
the COHUBICOL project on Counting as a Human Being in the Era of Computational Law;
the ALTEP-DP project focusing on e.g. the difference between ‘compliance by design’ and ‘legal protection by design.

Articles, commentaries and blogposts

Docksey, Christopher and Christopher Kuner, 'The Coronavirus Crisis and EU Adequacy Decisions for Data Transfers', European Law Blog (3 April 2020): click here.
Comande, Giovanni, Denise Amram and Gianclaudio Malgieri:
- 'Raccogliere piu dati si puo: c'e la legge', Corriere della Sera (4 April 2020): click here (Twitter link).
- 'The democracy of emergency at the time of the coronavirus: the virtues of privacy', Opinio Juris in comparatione, preprint (April 2020): click here.
González Fuster, Gloria and Mireille Hildebrandt:
- 'Opinion: Fundamental Rights More Important Than Ever', VUB Today (9 April 2020): click here.
- 'Bescherming van persoonsgegevens is nu meer dan ooit nodig', Knack (9 April 2020): click here.
Malgieri, Gianclaudio, 'Data Protection and Research: A vital challenge in the era of Covid-19 Pandemic', Computer Law & Security Review (11 April 2020): click here.
Kuner, Christopher, 'Data crossing borders: Data Sharing and Protection in Times of Coronavirus', Verfassungsblog (15 April 2020): click here.
van Brakel, Rosamunde, 'Mensen zijn niet happig op invasieve surveillance', Trends.Knack.be (16 April 2020): click here.
van Brakel, Rosamunde and Paul de Hert, 'We evolueren niet per se naa een politiestaat, maar wel blijven opletten', DeMorgen (20 April 2020): click here.
Malgieri, Gianclaudio and Paul de Hert, 'Special Issue: Legal and Ethical Challenges of Data Processing in the research field', Computer Law and Security Review (7 May 2020): click here.
van Brakel, Rosamunde and Paul de Hert, 'Anoniem maar toch gevaarlijk. Hang naar surveillance roept vragen over privacy op' - Chapter in the VUB e-book 'Post viraal naar een nieuw normaal' (June 2020): click here.
González Fuster, Gloria, 'Artificial Intelligence and Law Enforcement Impact on Fundamental Rights' - Chapter 6: COVID-19 Outbreak response, Study requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (July 2020): click here.
van Hoboken, Joris and István Böröcz, Contributors to the book 'Data Justice and COVID-19: Global Perspectives', MeatSpacePress (July 2020): click here.
Boehm, Franziska and Diana Dimitrova, 'FIZ Special Corona: The Corona Warning App in Germany - Data Protection Aspects', FIZ Karlsruhe (July 2020): click here.
Malgieri, Gianclaudio, 'The Italian COVID-19 Exposure Alert App: history and legal issues of “Immuni”', blogdroiteuropéen (17 July 2020): click here.
van Brakel, Rosamunde, Contributor to the article 'The COVID-19-crisis and the information polity: An overview of responses and discussions in twenty-one countries from six continents', Information Polity, (14 August 2020): click here.
Dumortier, Franck, 'Once upon a crisis in Belgium', PinG 5/2020 (September 2020): click here.
Gkotsopoulou, Olga, 'Interoperability of contact tracing apps in EU and data protection law implications', PinG 5/2020 (September 2020): click here.
van Brakel, Rosamunde, Contributor to the Report 'AUTOMATING SOCIETY REPORT 2020 | SPECIAL ISSUE on Automated Decision-Making Systems in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A European Perspective', Algorithm Watch (1 September 2020): click here.
Böröcz, István and Olga Gkotsopoulou, 'Between masks and curfews: Critical synopsis of the guidance issued by national supervisory authorities on analogue and digital body temperature measurement in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the EU', PinG 1/2021 (January 2021): click here.
Gkotsopoulou, Olga and Daniela Galatova, 'The EU Digital Green Certificate proposed framework: how does it interact with data protection law?', EULawLive (24 March 2021): click here.
López-Guzmán, Javier, 'Tratamiento de datos personales durante la pandemia de COVID-19 – (I) Aplicaciones de rastreo de contactos', Lvcentinvs: Blog de propiedad intelectual desde Alicante (31 May 2021): click here (in Spanish).
López-Guzmán, Javier, 'Tratamiento de datos personales durante la pandemia de COVID-19 – (II) Pasaportes de vacunación', Lvcentinvs: Blog de propiedad intelectual desde Alicante (30 August 2021): click here (in Spanish).

Events (past and forthcoming in chronological order, including recordings, slides or transcripts)

Laura Drechsler as panelist in the cross-sectoral roundtable on International Transfer of Health Data, FEAM European Biomedical Policy Forum (16 October 2020): click here (recording on Youtube)
Gloria González Fuster in the panel 'Covid-19 and International Law: Science, Tech, Trolls and the Role of Information', ESIL and the Stockholm Center for International Law and Justice (SCILJ) (10 September 2020): click here.
Christopher Kuner in ‘Data Protection in the age of COVID-19. Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow’, European Data Protection Supervisor (7 July 2020): click here.
Online Summer Academy for Global Privacy Law 2020: Confronting the new Challenges, Brussels Privacy Hub (22-26 June 2020): click here.
Christopher Kuner on contact tracing apps, in 'Data Protection in the Time of COVID-19 - 2nd Edition of the Data Protection handbook for Humanitarian Action', International Red Cross Committee (3 June 2020): click here.
Mireille Hildebrandt and Gloria González Fuster on the continuing challenge of AI & Data Protection Law in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, VUB AI Webinar Series: AI & Data-driven Solutions amid the COVID-19 Crisis (20 May 2020): click here
Olga Gkotsopoulou on the EU developments in relation to data protection law and contract tracing apps at New Frontiers of Data Protection & Covid-19, IRI§-Seminar - Weblaw Corona & Health series (20 May 2020): click here.
Gianclaudio Malgieri on 'Contact tracing: la tecnologia contro il Covid-19', Trentino Startup (8 May 2020): click here.
Sara Mendes Roda on 'Digital Rights and Data Protection at the age of coronavirus', PANELFIT Monthly Chat (6 May 2020): click here.
Gloria González Fuster on Privacy and individual liberties in the COVID-19 crisis, Mexico-EU Dialogue Think Tanks - Online Dialogues Series by the Delegation of the European Union to Mexico (5 May 2020): click here.
Mireille Hildebrandt on Corona-virus tracking apps and the APPLE GOOGLE move, Radboud University (1 May 2020): click here.
Gianclaudio Malgieri on 'La verità, vi prego, su privacy e App Covid-19', LiderLab - Dirpolis, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (30 April 2020): click here and for the recorded video here (Youtube link).

Mentions in the news

van Brakel, Rosamunde, 'Privacy in the time of corona: the Coronalert app approved', Interview for VUB Today (6 October 2020): click here.
González Fuster, Gloria in: Pérez Colomé, Jordi, “¿Quieres volver al fútbol? Bájate esta app”. Los sistemas de rastreo que España aún no debate, EL PAÍS (5 May 2020): click here.
González Fuster, Gloria in: Pérez Colomé, Jordi, ' La ‘app’ Radar Covid no advierte de todos los riesgos para la privacidad de sus usuarios', EL PAÍS (18 September 2020): click here.
González Fuster, Gloria in: 'El Gobierno da finalmente los detalles de la brecha de seguridad de Radar Covid', Digital Policy Law News (20 November 2020): click here.
De Hert, Paul in: 'Pasjesmaatschappij discrimineert en polariseert', Apache (15 September 2021): click here.

Other contributions

Rosamunde van Brakel, Expert Member of the Interfederal Working Group on the Belgian Contact-tracing app (since May 2020): click here.

Observatories and repositories

General resources

Baker McKenzie, 'Covid-19 - Data Privacy & Security Survey' (13 March 2020): click here (pdf).
Balboni, Paolo, ' “Public health AND Privacy” and not “Public health OR Privacy”: A collection of Guidance on COVID-19', Paolo Balboni - ICT, Privacy and Data Science (26 March 2020): click here.
BIRN Investigative Resource Desk, 'Digital Rights in the Time of COVID-19': click here.
Covid-19 Litigation, 'Open-Access Case Law Database': click: here.
Council of Europe, 'COVID-19 Data Protection: resources': click here.
Dentons, 'COVID-19: Data Privacy Analysis – Country Guides': click here.
EDRi, 'COVID-19 & Digital Rights: Document Pool' (since 4 May 2020): click here.
EUR-lex, 'COVID-19 Repository' (a non-exhaustive regularly updated list of documents related to the EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic, published on EUR-Lex, per thematic area): click here.
European Academy for Freedom of Information and Data Protection (EAID), 'Resources on data protection in the Corona crisis': click here.
Future of Privacy Forum, 'COVID-19: Privacy & Data Protection Resources': click here.
Global Privacy Assembly, 'Data protection and Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources': click here.
Hogan Lovells, 'Coronavirus and data protection – Guidance by data protection authorities': click here (pdf).
Hunton Andrews Kurth, 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center - Privacy and Cybersecurity Pandemic Resource Center': click here.
IAPP, 'DPA guidance on COVID-19': click here.
noyb/GDPRHub, 'Data Protection under COVID-19 ', click here.
The Syllabus, 'Coronavirus Readings, The Politics of COVID-19: Our New Regular Special Edition': click here.
Wilson Sonsini, 'COVID-19 Client Advisory Resource' click here.
Woodhams, Samuel, 'COVID-19 Digital Rights Tracker', Top10VPN: click here.

Series of posts and events

blogdroiteuropéen, e-conference on Data protection Issues and Covid-19: Comparative Perspectives (since 26 June 2020, daily posts except on Sundays): click here.
datenschutzticker.de - Blog zu Datenschutz und Datensicherheit der KINAST Rechtsanwälte / privacy-ticker.com - Data security and data protection blog of KINAST Attorneys at Law, 'Themenreihe Datenschutz und Corona / Series on Data Protection and Corona' : click here for (DE) and (EN).
Future of Privacy Forum, 'Privacy and Pandemics' (since 10 March 2020): click here.
Forum Privatheit, 'Corona-Tracing | Ein Blog des Forum Privatheit' (since 12 April 2020): click here.
Human Rights Institute, Virtual Event Series: COVID-19: Advancing Rights and Justice During a Pandemic, Columbia Law School (since 31 March 2020): click here (including recordings)

COVID-19 response (Apps, projects and other government measures)

AAL programme, 'AAL Solutions Supporting Older Adults during the Coronavirus Outbreak': click here.
Council of Europe, 'Contact Tracing Apps': click here.
EGSA, 'GNSS Apps for COVID-19 response': click here.
Eskens, Sarah, 'Contact tracing app laws in the EU': click here.
European Commission - DIGIT/ Joinup, 'Digital Response to COVIID-19': click here.
European mHealth Hub, 'mHealth solutions for managing the COVID-19 outbreak': click here.
European eHealth Hub platform, Repository: click here.
FS0C131Y, 'Covid19 Tracker Apps': click here.
Future of Privacy Forum, 'Privacy & Pandemics: The Role of Mobile Apps (Chart)' (April 2020): click here (pdf).
MIT Technology Review, 'COVID Tracing Tracker': click here; MIT Technology Review COVID Tracing Tracker DB: click here (Google Spreadsheet).
MyData Global:
- COVID-19 App List: click here (public Trello group);
- AppAssay project: click here.
noyb/GDPRHub, 'Projects using personal data to combat SARS-CoV-2', click here.
OCHA Services, 'ACAPS COVID-19: Government Measures Dataset': click here.
Open Government Partnership, 'Collecting Open Government Approaches to COVID-19': click here.
Oxford HCC, 'COVID-19 Apps & Systems': click here.
personaldata.io list of apps: click here.
Privacy International, 'Tracking the Global Response to COVID-19': click here.
Wikipedia, 'COVID-19 apps': click here.

Surveillance

Agrawal, Aditi, 'Keeping track of surveillance in the time of coronavirus', Medianama (23 March 2020): click here.
Gershgorn, Dave, 'We Mapped How the Coronavirus Is Driving New Surveillance Programs Around the World', OneZero Medium: click here.
Pandemic Big Brother, 'The pandemic gives new opportunities to Big Brother': click here.