May 08, 2020
Data traps for Maori in contact trace app
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The author of a proposed set of Māori ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence and data says Māori need to be involved in the development of any contact tracing app to counter the spread of COVID-19.
Karaitiana Taiuru says such programs tend to be developed by middle-aged white males who not think about how it impacts minorities.
Going on overseas models the app will probably collect cellphone data and report it back to a central register.
He says people’s willingness to use it could be compromised by fears data could be shared with government agencies and used for other purposes like benefit fraud investigations, so strict use rules need to be in place.
It could also require them to enable location information on their phones that many people switch off for privacy reasons.
"If that option is turned on it is also vulnerable to being attacked by criminals, hackers, and also people hiding from abusive partners could be at risk, depending on the technology, of also being found." Mr Taiauru says.
Karaitiana Taiuru would like the Ministry of Health to talk to iwi about the proposal.
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