In Europe, tech battle against coronavirus clashes with privacy culture

A screenshot shows a new Home Quarantine app by the Polish Government in Warsaw, Poland. The app copies the proactive and, so far, effective approach taken by Taiwan, which has just upgraded its arsenal with a mobile phone-based 'electronic fence' to keep at-risk individuals at home. — Reuters

WARSAW/BERLIN: Governments across Europe are turning to technology to track the spread of the coronavirus and monitor people under quarantine, an approach that seeks to learn from Asia but is also putting the region's privacy rules to the test.

From Helsinki to Madrid, applications are being developed for people to report their symptoms to doctors and researchers; to trace and model the spread of the flu-like virus; and ensure that those under quarantine stay at home.