ADM systems and the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
Rolling updates on automated decision-making systems deployed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. News items are displayed in reverse chronological order.
‘Almost useless’: 700,000 COVID-19 case alerts hidden in NSW phone app (The Sidney Morning Herald, Oct 2021)
"More than 700,000 COVID-19 case alerts have been sent to NSW residents via the state’s check-in app in the past three weeks, but experts warn there is little awareness about the feature because people are not automatically notified on their smartphones"
The COVIDSafe app has cost $9m to date, but it hasn't uncovered any close contacts during the current outbreaks (ABC News, Sep 2021)
"The federal government's COVIDSafe mobile app has not helped uncover close contacts during current COVID-19 outbreaks, the ABC has confirmed"
State-specific check in apps will be needed for COVID vaccine passports (ABC News, Sep 2021)
"Australians will need to manage multiple check-in apps on their phones if they move between states once borders open, and consent to their medical records being shared every 12 months"
The home isolation experience in South Australia (RNZ, Sep 2021)
"Completing a facial recognition scan is the only way those isolating can respond to the check-in notifications from the app. "The facial recognition is the only way to respond, you can't send a verbal text... there's no other way to respond; it has to be the facial recognition.""
Victoria launches home quarantine trial using facial recognition tech (InnovationAus, Sep 2021)
"Similar home quarantine programs using facial recognition technology are currently taking place in South Australia and New South Wales, and the tech has been in use in Western Australia for several months"
Australia's two largest states trial facial recognition software to police pandemic rules (Reuters, Sep 2021)
"The Perth, Western Australia-based startup developed the software in 2020 with Western Australia state police to help enforce pandemic movement restrictions, and has said it hopes to sell its services abroad. South Australia state began trialling a similar, non-Genvis technology last month, sparking warnings from privacy advocates around the world about potential surveillance overreach. The involvement of New South Wales and Victoria, which have not disclosed that they are trialling facial recognition technology, may amplify those concerns."
South Australia expands home quarantine trial to international arrivals, with ADF first to take part (ABC, Sep 2021)
"The trial has drawn criticism from both Australian and international commentators and civil libertarians, who described it as "Orwellian" for its reliance on facial recognition technology. But Premier Steven Marshall today said the "innovative" app had received positive feedback from trial participants"
Australia takes major step towards reopening international travel with new digital passenger declarations (The Guardian, Sep 2021)
"The Morrison government has taken a major step towards establishing a vaccine passport for international travel, awarding a contract to international IT company Accenture for new digital passenger declarations"
COVID-19 vaccination certificates at risk of forgery after discovery of another security flaw (ABC, Sep 2021)
"Fenn Bailey, a software developer in Melbourne, stumbled upon the security flaw this week after reading about other publicised vulnerabilities. He discovered the government was relying on a "high-school grade permissions password" to prevent unauthorised people from being able to alter or copy versions of the vaccination certificates. Mr Bailey found it was then possible to change a name or the vaccinated status on the certificate"
SA's COVID-19 home quarantine trial has been described as 'Orwellian' — but is Big Brother watching? (ABC, Sep 2021)
"The eye-catching element has not been the measure itself, but the method. While the approach of using facial recognition technology may be novel, it has also been likened to a piece of dystopian fiction"
Australia’s vaccine passport plans face resistance in the ACT (The Guardian, Sep 2021)
"Residents of New South Wales and Victoria will require vaccine passports to enter pubs and major events, but those living in the nation’s capital of Canberra will not (...) Barr is concerned that the ACT’s Check-In CBR app does not verify the identity of its users and cannot be used to guarantee vaccine status. The apps in Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory use the same source code as the ACT’s"
South Australia’s home quarantine app could be used nationally (Financial Review, Sep 2021)
"States including Western Australia and Tasmania are already using smartphone apps to monitor people required to quarantine at home. Home quarantine for foreign diplomats has also been used successfully in the ACT throughout the pandemic"
The Victorian Premier says the state is heading for a 'vaccine economy', here's what that might look like (ABC, Sep 2021)
""There is going to be a vaccinated economy, and you get to participate in that if you are vaccinated," Mr Andrews said"
Medicare app flaw means vaccine certificates can be faked in less than 10 minutes (The Guardian, Sep 2021)
"The certificate has a digital animation behind it, which is designed to prevent people presenting fake versions, but Sydney software engineer Richard Nelson discovered he was able to exploit a security flaw in the app and provide it with fake vaccine information that looked identical to the real thing."
‘Breach of trust’: Police using QR check-in data to solve crimes (The Sidney Morning Herald, Sep 2021)
"The nation’s privacy watchdog has called for police forces to be banned from accessing information from QR code check-in applications after law enforcement agencies have sought to use the contact-tracing data on at least six occasions to solve unrelated crimes."
Australia Traded Away Too Much Liberty (The Atlantic, Sep 2021)
"Australia is undoubtedly a democracy, with multiple political parties, regular elections, and the peaceful transfer of power. But if a country indefinitely forbids its own citizens from leaving its borders, strands tens of thousands of its citizens abroad, puts strict rules on intrastate travel, prohibits citizens from leaving home without an excuse from an official government list, mandates masks even when people are outdoors and socially distanced, deploys the military to enforce those rules, bans protest, and arrests and fines dissenters, is that country still a liberal democracy?"
Australia’s vaccine certificate system can’t recognise people with mixed Covid jabs as fully vaccinated (The Guardian, Aug 2021)
"The Guardian has received multiple reports from individuals who have been unable to obtain a digital vaccination certificate after they acted on medical advice and switched from AstraZeneca to Pfizer for their second dose"
Damning COVIDSafe report shows government ignored contact tracer frustrations, app's major shortfalls (The Canberra Times, Aug 2021)
"Covering the six-month period between between March and November last year, the report found the app had provided little assistance to the health response. It also revealed it would not be useful in high-risk settings such as crowded indoor venues and major outdoor events. The consulting company tasked with the review, Abt Associates, told the government it was important the seven million Australians who had downloaded the app acknowledged "the performance barriers that are limiting the effectiveness and efficiency of COVIDSafe"."
How will South Australia's home quarantine trial work? (ABC News, Aug 2021)
"If a person cannot successfully verify their location or identity when requested, SA Health will notify SA Police who will conduct an in-person check on the person in quarantine"
The Cautionary Tale of Two COVID-19 Apps (CDO Trends, Aug 2021)
"The success of the almost left-field HotDoc is a direct contrast to the Australian Department of Health’s COVIDSafe app, designed as a tool to identify people exposed to the virus. Since it was launched in April 2020, the app has managed to identify only 17 close contacts who were not picked up by other means"
Home quarantine trial to be launched in South Australia, Premier Steven Marshall announces (ABC News, Aug 2021)
"Mr Marshall said geo-location and facial recognition software would be used to track people who were quarantining. They will be contacted at random and required to provide proof of their location within 15 minutes"
Sydney fans will need vaccine passports to watch live sport in 2022 (Sky News Australia, Aug 2021)
"Vaccination passports will be a requirement for rugby league, AFL, cricket matches or any big events at major stadiums in 2022"
Auditor finds WA Police accessed SafeWA data 3 times and the app was flawed at launch (ZDNet, Aug 2021)
"The Auditor-General of Western Australia has handed down her report into the state's COVID-19 check-in app, SafeWA, revealing that not only did police access its data, but the app had a number of flaws when it was released"
Queensland businesses to face random compliance checks as COVID-19 contact tracing app made mandatory (ABC News, Jul 2021)
"In addition to hospitality venues, places like shopping centres, grocery stores, gyms, universities, cinemas, hairdressers and stadiums will be required to make customers register with the government's Check In Queensland app. Failure to comply with public health directions can lead to a $13,345 fine or six months' imprisonment"
'Very useless': COVIDSafe has not been updated for the more infectious Delta variant (ABC News, Jul 2021)
"Since its launch in early 2020, COVIDSafe has been giving state and territory public health officials access to contact information from COVIDSafe users who have been within 1.5 metres of each other for a period of 15 minutes or more. These parameters have not changed despite the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant, a Department of Health spokesperson confirmed. (...) But a number of medical experts say the parameters should be changed"
Check In CBR app to be mandatory in supermarkets, on public transport under new ACT COVID-19 requirements (ABC News, Jul 2021)
"From July 15, use of the app will be mandatory in supermarkets, department stores, petrol stations, take away services, public transport and all ride-sharing services including taxis and Uber"
Check-ins to SafeWA app unaffected after WA Police accessed data as part of criminal investigations (ABC News, Jun 2021)
"Police revealed they had accessed information gathered by the COVID-19 travel G2G pass in their investigations into more than a dozen criminal cases including murder, drug offences, property laundering and a breach of a violence restraining order"
Police would not agree to stop accessing COVID SafeWA app data, Premier Mark McGowan says (ABC News, Jun 2021)
"The WA government was forced to introduce legislation after failing to reach an agreement with police over the use of information collected from the SafeWA app, Premier Mark McGowan says"
WA police have used data from COVID app twice during investigations (ABC News, Jun 2021)
"After continually promising personal details on the WA Safe app would be confidential, the WA Government has revealed police have accessed the data twice during criminal investigations"
Victoria makes Covid check-in mandatory at shops after transmissions from ‘fleeting’ visits (The Guardian, May 2021)
"The Victorian government will now require people to check in at retail stores and supermarkets regardless of the length of time they spend in the store, as new data reveals a huge increase in check-ins to the Service Victoria app once the state forced businesses to begin using it. (...) since the end of March, third-party app providers have been required to use the government application programming interface, meaning all the check-in data across the state goes to the one government-held database when contact tracers need it, regardless of which app is used"
Australia has all but abandoned the COVIDSafe app in favour of QR codes (so make sure you check in) (The Conversation, Jun 2021)
"when Victoria’s health minister Martin Foley was asked this week whether the COVIDSafe app had been used in responding to the latest outbreak, he said: No. Not to my knowledge, and I’m sure in such a rare event it would have been brought to my attention"
DTA refuses to release COVIDSafe cloud hosting bill (itnews, May 2021)
"The Digital Transformation Agency has refused to release copies of cloud hosting bills or architecture diagrams for the government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app, citing "third-party" opposition, which is believed to be from Amazon Web Services"
Victoria further tightens QR code check-ins as Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rollout expands (ABC News, May 2021)
"From Tuesday, people checking in with QR codes in Victoria must provide their surname on the government app. Health authorities said the change was about making sure the data at each venue was as "comprehensive as possible" for contact tracers following up on exposure sites. (...) The information stored through check-ins is deleted after 28 days, unless it is required by contact tracers. All venues and organisations must switch to the free Service Victoria app from May 28"
Victoria moves to single QR code COVID-19 check-in system amid concerns about compliance (ABC News, May 2021)
"Most venues, including hospitality, sport facilities, gyms, religious sites, community venues, entertainment venues, real estate inspections, museums, nightclubs, gaming, accommodation and beauty services, are all required to use a QR code system. Supermarkets, retail and shopping centres are "highly recommended" to use the service. The results of a recent survey released by the government found only 41 per cent of visitors to hospitality venues checked in every time."
Older Queenslanders welcome COVID-19 Check In Qld app becoming mandatory (ABC News, May 2021)
"The state government said the app had been downloaded more than 2.42 million times, while more than 32,000 businesses had now registered"
‘This must not be permanent’: Privacy experts sound alarm over QR codes (The Sidney Morning Herald, Apr 2021)
“Michelle Falstein, secretary of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, warned personal data collected by the check-in tool could be used for purposes other than contact tracing. “Such broad purpose could enable the sharing of health information with police or for any other number of additional, loosely linked purposes not anticipated by the public,” Ms Falstein said in a letter”
Check-in Queensland COVID app to be mandatory from May (ABC News, Apr 2021)
"Mr Miles said making this particular app mandatory for pubs, clubs and restaurants would "allow for greater consistency, better access of data, and a more convenient user experience" (...) The business activities directive will be updated to make it mandatory from May 1. Failure to comply with public health directions can lead to a $13,345 fine or six months imprisonment"
$7m COVIDSafe kept turned on to the tune of $100,000 a month: DTA (The Canberra Times, Mar 2021)
"The government's $7 million COVIDSafe app is costing the public purse at least $100,000 a month to stay switched on despite only identifying less than 20 previously unknown contacts in the 11 months since it was first launched, a Senate estimates committee has heard"
Australia eyes digital Covid-19 vaccine passport with S’pore (The Straits Times, Mar 2021)
"Australia's Tourism Minister plans to travel to Singapore to discuss the creation of a digital vaccine passport system that would enable a travel bubble between the two countries by the middle of the year"
Queensland’s COVID app accessed a million times in a fortnight (Brisbane Times, Mar 2021)
"Minister for Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said more than 7600 businesses had taken up the app, with more than 1 million Queenslanders downloading it to their phones. (…) Like most tracking apps, the government’s app has users scan a QR code; however, it requires that they enter their details only once, instead of having to re-enter them every time they scan the QR code. The user’s details are stored on government servers and deleted after 56 days, to reassure people there is no data collection occurring"
Service NSW COVID-19 check-in app suffers 'unplanned outage' across state (ABC News, Mar 2021)
"The Service NSW app went down across the state around 3:00pm, leaving patrons unable to register their details at restaurants and bars. A Department of Customer Service spokesperson confirmed the outage was resolved after four hours"
Facial recognition, GPS tracking as SA Govt monitors home quarantine (InDaily, Feb 2021)
"The (South Australia, ndr) State Government has given a $1.1 million contract to a Western Australian company to develop a new smartphone app that uses facial recognition and GPS tracking technology to monitor people who are ordered to self-quarantine at home"
AIDH calls for international digital vaccine passport with agreed standards (Pulse IT Magazine, Feb 2021)
"The Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) has put its support behind the creation of an international digital vaccine passport or Yellow Card that can verify details of a person’s vaccination for COVID-19 and would assist overseas travellers returning home. It has also called for agreement on a global standard to record vaccination status to avoid interoperability challenges as international borders open up"
Latest update: Oct 27, 2021