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Washington (AFP)
People returning to work after the long pandemic will find a range of technological gadgets to improve workplace safety, but which could pose risks to long-term personal and medical privacy.
Temperature checks, distance monitors, digital ‘passports’, wellness surveys, and robotic cleaning and disinfection systems are being rolled out to many workplaces looking to reopen.
Tech giants and startups are offering solutions that include computer vision detection of vital signs from wearable devices that can offer early indications of the onset of Covid-19 and applications that track health metrics.
Salesforce and IBM have teamed up on a “digital health pass” to let people share their immunizations and health status on their smartphones.
Clear, a tech start-up known for airport screening, has created its own health pass that is used by organizations such as the National Hockey League and MGM Resorts.
Fitbit, the wearable technology maker recently acquired by Google, has its own “Ready for Work” program that includes daily recordings using data from its devices.
Fitbit is equipping nearly 1,000 NASA employees with wearable devices as part of a pilot program that requires logging in daily using various health metrics that will be tracked by the space agency.
Microsoft and insurance giant United HealthCare have deployed a ProtectWell app that includes daily symptom screening, and Amazon has deployed a “remote assistant” in its warehouses to help employees maintain safe distances.
And a grand coalition of tech companies and health organizations are working on a digital vaccination certificate, which can be used on smartphones to show evidence of inoculation for Covid-19.
– ‘Blurs the lines’ –
With these systems, employees can face controls even when entering a building lobby, and surveillance in elevators, hallways and throughout the workplace.
Surveillance “blurs the line between people’s workplaces and personal lives,” said Darrell West, vice president of the Brookings Institution at the think tank’s Center for Technology Innovation.
“It erodes long-standing protections of medical privacy for many different workers.”
A report last year by consumer activist group Public Citizen identified at least 50 apps and technologies launched during the pandemic “marketed as workplace surveillance tools to fight Covid-19.”
The report says some systems go so far as to identify people who don’t spend enough time at a sink to notice inadequate hand washing.
“The invasion of privacy faced by workers is alarming, especially since the effectiveness of these technologies in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 has not yet been established,” the report said.
The group said there should be clear rules on data collection and storage, with better disclosure to employees.
– A delicate balance –
Employers face a delicate balance when trying to ensure workplace safety without intruding on privacy, said Forrest Briscoe, professor of management and organization at Penn State University.
Briscoe said there are legitimate reasons and precedents for requiring proof of vaccination. But these sometimes conflict with medical privacy regulations that restrict a company’s access to employee health data.
“You don’t want the employer to access this information for work-related decisions,” Briscoe said.
Biscoe said many employers rely on third-party technology vendors to handle surveillance, but it also comes with risks.
“Using third-party vendors will keep the data separate,” he said.
“But for some companies, their business model involves collecting data and using it for monetizable purposes, which poses a risk to privacy.”
The global health crisis has prompted startups around the world to seek innovative ways to limit virus transmission, with some of these products being shown at the Consumer Electronics Show 2021.
FaceHeart, based in Taiwan, demonstrated software that can be installed in cameras for non-contact measurement of vital signs to screen for shortness of breath, high fever, dehydration, elevated heart rate and other symptoms that are early indicators of Covid-19.
Drone maker Draganfly showcased camera technology that can be used to deliver social distancing alerts, and also to detect changes in people’s vital signs that may be early indicators of Covid-19 infection. .
A programmable robot from Misty Robotics, also on display at CES, can be adapted as a health check monitor and can also be designed to sanitize frequently used surfaces like doorknobs, according to the company.
But there are risks in relying too much on technology that may not be proven or inaccurate, like trying to detect fevers with thermal cameras among people on the move, said Jay Stanley, a privacy researcher. and analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Employers have a legitimate interest in protecting workplaces and keeping employees healthy amid the pandemic,” Stanley said.
“But what would worry me is that employers are using the pandemic to collect and store information in a systematic way beyond what is necessary to protect health.”
© 2021 AFP
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