Abu Dhabi’s lightning-fast Covid-19 scanners raise privacy fears

A security man uses the EDE scanner, a new screening system that allegedly detects whether or not people have the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) by using a mobile at a mall in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. — Reuters

BEIRUT: Data rights groups are warning of privacy violations and risks to vulnerable communities after Abu Dhabi deployed scanners at border crossings, malls and other public locations that could detect Covid-19 in seconds.

The Abu Dhabi health department says the EDE scanners can confirm a Covid-19 infection by measuring an individual’s electromagnetic wave emissions, which it says are altered when the coronavirus is present, according to a June 27 statement by Abu Dhabi’s Media Office.