Police in Australia co-opted Covid-19 apps to fight crime

Mourners gather at a funeral parlour in north Perth, Australia before riding to the funeral of murdered Rebels biker Nick Martin at Pinnaroo Cemetery in Perth, Australia, on Dec 23, 2020. The former Rebels president was gunned down earlier in the month at the Perth Motorplex. Martin’s murder left police a trove of evidence that led them to the culprit. But they wanted more. — AAP via AP

CANBERRA, Australia: Biker boss Nick Martin’s murder at a speedway in Perth, Australia, left police a trove of evidence that led them to the culprit: a thrill-seeker turned gun-for-hire. But they wanted more.

The coronavirus pandemic provided it in the form of an electronic dragnet: QR code check-in data from contact tracing apps of 2,439 fans who attended the December 2020 race. A government order requiring people to provide contact tracing information in case of a Covid-19 outbreak meant that anyone who checked in at the raceway that day left their name, phone number and arrival time through the SafeWA Covid-19 app or on paper. Police issued an “order to produce” the information to the state Health Department two days after Martin was shot and killed.