COVID-19 Could Provide Cover for Surveillance Expansion

guest · Sep 15, 2020

Contact tracing apps raise privacy fears
September 15, 2020
https://betanews.com/2020/09/15/contact-tracing-privacy-fears/

Most US consumers believe in the effectiveness of contact tracing apps to curb the spread of COVID-19, but a new report shows almost half would refuse to download them over data privacy concerns.

A study sponsored by SecureAge Technology has surveyed more than 580 consumers and over 300 IT professionals to find out their perceptions on the use of contact tracing apps.
More than two-thirds of consumers (67 percent) acknowledge their support for a national rollout of contact tracing technology to help track and prevent the spread of COVID-19, while 70 percent also acknowledge that contact tracing technology could be effective in curbing the spread of the virus.
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However, 92 percent of consumer respondents are concerned that contact tracing apps will collect sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Even so, 66 percent of consumers would still download these apps despite privacy concerns, if they were made publicly available.

"And yet, the general public's lack of confidence in a safe and secure way to use contact tracing undermines the technology’s potential to effectively curb the spread of the virus."

"Understandably, consumers are sending mixed messages. [...] At the same time, our study also highlights distrust in federal cybersecurity protocols as the idea of the US government as the sole gatekeeper for PII is mixed.
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SecureAge:
(Press Release): A new study by SecureAge reveals many consumers feel privacy takes priority over prevention

Most US consumers believe in the effectiveness of contact tracing apps to curb the spread of Covid-19, yet a majority are concerned about personal data collection.
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(Report): Contact tracing creates tech privacy fears: POVs from consumers and IT pros

SecureAge surveyed nearly 900 respondents (580+ consumers; 300+ IT professionals) to find out their perceptions on the use of contact tracing apps. The study was conducted from July 20, 2020 to August 17, 2020 and revealed how privacy and data security fears have the potential to affect much-needed adoption rates throughout the United States. Below are the key findings.
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guest · Sep 22, 2020

UK government to retain fingerprints and DNA profiles of COVID-19 infectees under national security
COVID-19 infectees fingerprints and DNA to be gathered under "terrorism" clauses
September 16, 2020
https://www.intellihub.com/uk-gover...f-covid-19-infectees-under-national-security/

The legislation titled The Coronavirus (Retention of Fingerprints and DNA Profiles in the Interests of National Security) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 lays out how the “Secretary of State, in accordance with section 24(3) of that Act, considers that coronavirus is having, or is likely to have, an adverse effect on the capacity of persons responsible for making national security determinations to consider whether to make, or renew, national security determinations and that it is in the interests of national security to retain the fingerprints or DNA profiles as provided for in these Regulations.”

The legislation goes into effect on Oct 1, 2020 and is set to end on March 24, 2021.
Shockingly, some of the provisions are listed under “terrorism” which raises a red flag.
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guest · Sep 27, 2020

Students Are Rebelling Against Eye-Tracking Exam Surveillance Tools
Invasive test-taking software has become mandatory in many places
September 24, 2020
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...-against-eye-tracking-exam-surveillance-tools

As a privacy-minded computer science student preparing to start his first year at Miami University, Erik Johnson was concerned this fall when he learned that two of his professors would require him to use the digital proctoring software Proctorio for their classes.

The software turns students’ computers into powerful invigilators—webcams monitor eye and head movements, microphones record noise in the room, and algorithms log how often a test taker moves their mouse, scrolls up and down on a page, and pushes keys. The software flags any behavior its algorithm deems suspicious for later viewing by the class instructor.
In the end, Johnson never had to use Proctorio.
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Surveillance at Home
Algorithmic proctoring software has been around for several years, but its use exploded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to quickly transition to remote learning.
There is little peer-reviewed evidence about how digital proctoring affects students’ honesty and test-taking ability, and the little research that has delved into the issue doesn’t offer a clear consensus.

Other proctoring companies have also been litigious when faced with criticism.
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guest · Sep 27, 2020

mood said:

↑ Are Schools Forcing Students To Install Spyware That Invades Their Privacy As A Result Of The Coronavirus Lockdown? April 24, 2020
↑ Online school means online tests, along with computerized surveillance August 29, 2020
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Students Are Pushing Back Against Proctoring Surveillance Apps
September 25, 2020
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/students-are-pushing-back-against-proctoring-surveillance-apps

Privacy groups aren’t the only ones raising the alarm about the dangers of invasive proctoring apps. Through dozens of petitions across the country, and the globe, students too are pushing school administrators and teachers to consider the risks these apps create.

Students at the University of Texas at Dallas are petitioning the school to stop using the proctoring app Honorlock. The petition has over 6,300 signatures, notes that Honorlock can collect “your face, driver’s license, and network information,” and calls use of Honorlock a “blatant violation of our privacy as students.”
Students at Florida International University are petitioning their school to stop using Honorlock as well, gathering over 7,200 signatures.
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In addition to privacy concerns, the petition from students at Florida International University notes that because Honorlock requires a webcam and microphone, “students with limited access to technology or a quiet testing location” are placed at a disadvantage, and that the required use of such technology “does not account for students with difficult living situations.”

Students have seen success through these petitions. A petition at The City University of New York, supported by the University Student Senate and other student body groups, resulted in the decision that faculty and staff may not compel students to participate in online proctoring. After students at the University of London petitioned against the use of Proctortrack, the university decided to move away from the third-party proctoring provider.
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Below, we’ve listed some of the larger petitions and noted their major concerns.
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guest · Oct 5, 2020

Surveillance technology is not the way to get kids safely back to school
...But schools are buying them
October 5, 2020
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/m...-health-coronavirus-qr-codes-thermal-cameras/

Every Monday this fall, I’ve been taking a look at education and technology during the pandemic. I’ve mostly talked about remote school, but today is about how schools and districts are using tech to try and monitor students’ health in the classroom.

Now they’re adding QR codes, thermal cameras and spending potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. I spoke with Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the nonprofit Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. The following is an edited transcript of our conversation.
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We see facial recognition being used as a COVID-19 response — we also see thermal imaging. And these technologies are all invasive, they’re all expensive. But what they don’t have is evidence that they actually work.

We see companies that were marketing their tech as a way to prevent school shootings [...]
But as soon as COVID-19 was in the news, and they saw that school districts were more interested in spending money on public health than on mass shootings, they suddenly started selling the exact same technology to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

They have technology and they’re trying to find ways to make us believe that it’s the solution to our problems.
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Contact tracing privacy is really in a dangerous state today.
Currently, there’s almost no protection against law enforcement or even [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] coming in and getting this sort of contact tracing data.

And that’s why we’ve been fighting here in New York to pass legislation that would actually say that police can’t weaponize this information and make it another part of the school-to-prison pipeline.
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This is a good time to mention that all across this country, teachers have threatened strikes over low pay, the need to buy their own supplies, huge class sizes and insufficient resources for things like textbooks. And now, schools and districts are spending tons of money on technology that doesn’t work because we do not have testing or contact tracing rather than agree on mandating masks, which by every account do work. In case you were wondering if any of this makes any sense at all.
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guest · Oct 9, 2020

400 Facial Recognition Gates In A Single Airport: The Terrifying Future of Air Travel
"COVID-19/Big Brother marriage"
October 8, 2020
https://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2020/10/400-facial-recognition-gates-in-single.html

A recent IFSEC Global study gave the world a glimpse into a dystopian COVID-19/Big Brother marriage.
The Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom is installing biometric gates at each and every access point.

"With numerous access and entrance control points across its five terminals for customers to contend with, Simon Wilcox, Heathrow Passenger Automation Program Lead, recognized the need to handle passenger flow in the most efficient way possible – without compromising on security."
Heathrow airports' biometric gates will scan passengers faces throughout the entire airport. No one will be safe from Big Brother's gaze, not you or your family.

Heathrow airport, like airports around the world, are exploiting the public's fear of COVID-19 and using it to justify installing facial recognition gates everywhere; from passenger check-in, to bag drops, security lanes and boarding gates.
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Last month, a Tascent corporate announcement revealed that the Information Engineering Group Inc., will be installing "a touchless, streamlined experience" at airport lounges everywhere.

To my knowledge, there is not a single known instance of any airport using 400 facial recognition gates to ID and screen airline passengers other than Heathrow. Will 400 facial recognition gates be the gold standard or will other airports install 500, 700 or maybe even 1,000 facial recognition gates in the future?
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The flying public will be identified and tracked everywhere they go except when using a restroom; but even that may change in the near future.
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guest · Oct 10, 2020

AI cameras introduced in London to monitor social distancing and lockdown restrictions
Vivacity Labs has more than 1,000 sensors in cities including London and Manchester
October 8, 2020
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/ai-cameras-london-social-distancing-rules-a4566446.html

The sensors were initially developed by Vivacity to track the flow of traffic, cyclists and pedestrians and monitor how roads are being used.

But when the country went into lockdown in March, Vivacity added on an extra feature to the AI scanners so it could register the distance between pedestrians. This data is shared in a monthly report with the Government.
Vivacity Labs said they have more than 1,000 sensors installed across the UK, in cities including London, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge and Nottingham.
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The Chief Operating Officer of Vivacity said the manufacturers introduced a new social distancing feature for the sensors in March.

"We developed an addition to our sensors that was not just looking at the paths pedestrians were taking, but if two pedestrians come within two metres of one another then we will count that as one, and if they don't come within two metres of one another then we will count that as a different one," said Mr Mildon.
"The [cameras] enable us to provide anonymous data on how the road is being used. There are huge benefits in understanding how that space is being used and how that can be improved or how it can be made safer.
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guest · Oct 15, 2020

Go read how Clear plans to infiltrate every part of daily life
You are You (along with your credit card, passport and driver’s license)
October 14, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/14/21516653/clear-identity-health-covid-airports

With the pandemic essentially halting travel, Clear — once in the business of streamlining security checks at airports — is now in search of other opportunities. For a company whose bread and butter is biometric identify verification, the solutions lie, well, everywhere, reports Dave Gershgorn for OneZero.

Clear sees its future as an identity platform. The company’s recently launched Health Pass service is just the start, an easy way to capitalize on the need for touchless health screenings, Gershgorn writes.
Future uses of quick identity verification could serve an integral part of all transactions from sports arenas to retail stores, verifying age, payment information and much more.
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Clear’s ambitions present a... clear danger. How can the company guarantee the safety of its customers’ data? Clear has had such a breach before. Further: should any one company have such a complete picture of a person?
Read the full piece at OneZero for terrifying slides from Clear’s pitch deck. The privacy trade-offs Clear offers in exchange for speed might already be too attractive for vendors to ignore.
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guest · Oct 17, 2020

Police given access to details of people told to self-isolate by UK government's system
October 17, 2020
https://news.trust.org/item/20201017220315-6fosw

British police forces have been granted access to details of people who have been told to self-isolate under the government's 'test and trace' system, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said late on Saturday.

A spokesman for the department said it agreed with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) that officers could have access on a case-by-case basis to information on whether a specific individual has been notified to self-isolate.

"The memorandum of understanding ensures that information is shared with appropriate safeguards and in accordance with the law. No testing or health data is shared in this process," the spokesman said in an emailed statement.
The development was reported earlier by Sky News, which also cited an NPCC statement saying police will continue encouraging voluntary compliance but will enforce regulations and issue fixed penalty notices (FPN) when needed.
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guest · Oct 18, 2020

Hospitals And VA Clinics Use 'Xecan' Facial Recognition And Palm Scanners To Track Patients
October 15, 2020
https://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2020/10/hospitals-and-va-clinics-use-xecan.html

Massachusetts area hospitals and VA clinics have begun installing Xecan facial recognition cameras to identify and track patients.

What makes Xecan so unique is using 'immunocompromised cancer patients' and COVID-19 together to justify using facial recognition in hospitals.
A recent Xecan press release reads like a magnanimous story of how concerned they appear to be about a patient's well being.

"Now, this technology can help immunocompromised cancer patients feel more at ease during treatment in the era of COVID-19 by reducing/eliminating their need to physically interact with many facets of their treatment. [...] XECAN offers various means of touchless verification, patients can be verified with or without masks."
Xecan's "Face ID" has the audacity to claim that facial recognition has the distinct-advantage of being hygienic!
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The way cancer clinics refer to Xecan might actually make one think that they really care about a patient's well being, instead of building a hospital-wide biometric database of everyone.

The last thing American's need is to have their hospitals turned into virtual prisons under the guise of COVID-19. Do veterans and cancer patients really want their palms and faces added to a national biometric patient database?
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stapp · Oct 19, 2020

mood said: ↑

Police given access to details of people told to self-isolate by UK government's system
October 17, 2020
https://news.trust.org/item/20201017220315-6fosw
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The developers of the Covid-19 contact-tracing app for England and Wales have stressed that none of the data it uses will be shared with the police.
It followed news that the contact details of people told to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace scheme in England would be shared with the police "on a case-by-case basis".
However, the app operates independently of this system.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54599320

guest · Oct 24, 2020

Connected wristbands could be used to monitor home quarantine for travelers
October 24, 2020
https://technology.inquirer.net/105...used-to-monitor-home-quarantine-for-travelers

Australian authorities are considering trialing electronic tags to manage at-home quarantine for certain travelers arriving from overseas, according to the Melbourne daily newspaper, The Age. A first trial could be carried out in the state of Victoria, the country’s worst-hit state by COVID-19.

The electronic wrist tags could be used to monitor home-based 14-day quarantine periods when international flights to the Australian state resume.
The idea involves connecting the wristband to a mobile app installed on the wearer’s cell phone, which proves that the individual has not left their residence of choice or their hotel room. This data can then be checked by a government monitoring service if necessary.
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In Australia, the use of such devices should be temporary and proportional. Talks are still underway to establish how the electronic tags could be used on arrivals from certain international flights.
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The Age: Electronic tag plan for travellers as shift from hotel quarantine considered

The Andrews government is examining scaling back the botched hotel quarantine program and using electronic monitoring devices for some returned travellers when Victoria opens up to international flights for the first time since early July.
Any attempt to leave home or tamper with the device triggers an alert to authorities.

"The whole world is in the middle of a pandemic. We have to be creative and the sooner we become creative, the better," Dr Martinovic said.
"I don't like the idea that people can be spied on that way all the time, but if that infringement of their ordinary liberties is designed to help save us all from a general threat like COVID-19, that is supportable," Mr Burnside said.
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guest · Nov 1, 2020

Intrusive, omnipresent surveillance growing during COVID-19 pandemic, UN expert warns
October 29, 2020
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26446&LangID=E

Widespread use of contact tracing technology to fight the COVID-19 pandemic has led to almost incessant and omnipresent surveillance in some parts of the world, a UN expert on privacy told the General Assembly today.

“This is a very disturbing trend; all-pervasive surveillance is no panacea for COVID-19,” Joseph Cannataci, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, said as he delivered his annual report, which examines the privacy impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cannataci said he was concerned about reports of personal and health data being used to exert control over citizens, possibly to little public health effect. He called upon States and companies to recognise the importance of privacy engineering in technological strategies.

“Engineering for privacy alongside public health aims is technically possible and socially necessary – especially if citizens are to adopt and maintain the use of apps such as contact tracing features,” he said.
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There is already guidance available to States to facilitate the lawful, necessary and proportionate use of health and other data to fight the spread of the virus, he said.
“The critical question to ask,” he said, “is: ‘could the same public health results have been obtained by less privacy intrusive tactics?’”
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Annual Report: https://undocs.org/A/75/147

Privacy should be considered from the very beginning, starting with the engineering of the application. Although that is accounted for in the spirit of the “Privacy by Design” approach advocated in the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, the reality of privacy engineering is nowhere near such lofty ideals.
[...]
There is an essential difference between the way applications are being promoted or enforced.
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Conclusions
The main privacy risk lies in the use of non-consensual methods, such as those outlined in the section on hybrid systems of surveillance, which could result in function creep and be used for other purposes that may be privacy intrusive.

It is understandable that some of the States that have adopted privacy-intrusive technologies to combat COVID-19 are claiming that they have tracked a certain amount cases and/or have avoided a certain amount of deaths. However, those claims are yet to be verified.
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guest · Nov 3, 2020

Coronavirus: Singapore schoolchildren must use Covid-tracing tech
November 3, 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54792187

Singapore pupils aged over seven must use the city state's contact-tracing app or wearable device from December
Both use Bluetooth signals to log any contact with other users' devices.

Pupils do not always have access to their phones but free tokens that can be worn on a lanyard or carried are being given away at community centres.
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The government has already said the TraceTogether app or token will, however, be mandatory in workplaces, restaurants and shopping centres.
Advocates have also suggested the tokens could be better for privacy.

Users' data is stored on the token, purged regularly and sent to the Ministry of Health only after a positive coronavirus test.
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In the UK, all use of local contact-tracing apps is voluntary and there is no wearable alternative - although the idea has been explored.
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guest · Nov 3, 2020

Schools Adopt Face Recognition in the Name of Fighting Covid
A WIRED investigation finds dozens of districts have purchased thermal cameras to monitor fevers that can also identify students and staff
October 3, 2020
https://www.wired.com/story/schools-adopt-face-recognition-name-fighting-covid/

In June, the school board in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, was facing a series of votes on the budget for an elaborate and expensive reopening plan.
But this spring, it had pivoted. Its new product, called GoSafe, could scan foreheads for elevated temperatures and detect when students aren’t wearing masks. It also came with a bonus: “top-of-the-line” facial recognition, as a local vendor described it to the school board.

District officials considered this a selling point. The tablets were pricey—$161,000 for 71 devices—even amid the district’s bulk orders of hand sanitizer and protective equipment.
But they would get kids through school doors more efficiently than handheld thermometers.
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One school board member, Catherine Cullen, was concerned. Facial recognition technology was new to her, and the features, she noticed, didn’t seem especially relevant to the reopening plan. There were many unknowns, “particularly as it pertains to student privacy, civil liberties, storing and securing the data,” she says in an email.

Facial recognition is not a requirement for those devices, or even involved in the process of taking temperatures. But the feature has emerged as a powerful way to market the devices.
Facial recognition does not have an obvious role in checking temperatures.

But school officials say the benefit is primarily a matter of efficiency.
A tablet that automatically recognizes a face, takes a temperature, and can even open or close the door based on the results helps speed up the morning routine of getting hundreds of students into school buildings safely.
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guest · Nov 6, 2020

UK: Woman threatened with police visit after refusing to download NHS corona tracking app
There have been several incidences of this
November 5, 2020
https://reclaimthenet.org/uk-woman-threatened-with-police-visit-after-refusing-corona-tracking-app/

A British woman has been threatened with a visit from police for refusing to download the NHS coronavirus tracking app on her smartphone and allowing herself to be tracked. This the latest story in how the coronavirus is leading to an erosion of civil liberties in many countries.

The woman recently tested positive for COVID and is in self-isolation at home.
She received more than 20 text messages ordering her to download the app. She argues the app is a privacy issue for her. Besides, she is self-isolating at home, meaning she is not a risk to anyone.

Test and Trace called her on the phone and warned her that there would be a “police check at your address if you do not download the app.” She was infuriated by the call and hung up. She is now waiting to see what happens.
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Needless to say, there is no such legal basis for the threat: the app is entirely voluntary. One wonders what the motivation for the threat is – is the Test and Trace system based on some sort of “results” score sheet? Are they even paid by the download? God knows.
The threat of a police visit is just another example of how government agencies are trying to use coronavirus to implement restrictions on digital privacy.
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hawki · Nov 11, 2020

"How Ticketmaster Plans to Check Your Vaccine Status for Concerts

Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety that uses smart phones to verify fans' vaccination status or whether they've tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window.

...The plan, which is still in development phase, will rely on three separate components -- the Ticketmaster digital ticket app, third party health information companies like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM's Digital Health Pass and testing and vaccine distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.

Here's how it would work..."

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan

xxJackxx · Nov 11, 2020

hawki said: ↑

"How Ticketmaster Plans to Check Your Vaccine Status for Concerts

Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety that uses smart phones to verify fans' vaccination status or whether they've tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window.

...The plan, which is still in development phase, will rely on three separate components -- the Ticketmaster digital ticket app, third party health information companies like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM's Digital Health Pass and testing and vaccine distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.

Here's how it would work..."

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan
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How is none of this a HIPAA violation?

hawki · Nov 11, 2020

xxJackxx said: ↑

How is none of this a HIPAA violation?
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Under the current version of the plan, the customer has to direct the testing lab or vaccinating clinic to release the information:

"..the fan would instruct the lab to deliver the results to their health pass company, like CLEAR or IBM. If the tests were negative, or the fan was vaccinated, the health pass company would verify the attendee's COVID-19 status to Ticketmaster, which would then issue the fan the credentials."

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan

xxJackxx · Nov 11, 2020

hawki said: ↑

Under the current version of the plan, the customer has to direct the testing lab or vaccinating clinic to release the information:

"..the fan would instruct the lab to deliver the results to their health pass company, like CLEAR or IBM. If the tests were negative, or the fan was vaccinated, the health pass company would verify the attendee's COVID-19 status to Ticketmaster, which would then issue the fan the credentials."

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan
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That makes sense. I guess I could have read the article.
I didn't see where it said if the ticket buyer gets a refund if they don't pass. Knowing Ticketmaster I'm assuming no unless I missed something.

Trooper · Nov 11, 2020

Looks like I will never attend a concert ever again. Glad that I grew up when I did.

xxJackxx · Nov 12, 2020

Trooper said: ↑

Looks like I will never attend a concert ever again. Glad that I grew up when I did.
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True. Plus, all of the good ones are dead or retired anyway.

chrisretusn · Nov 13, 2020

I just had a relative send me a link to download the MI COVID Alert app. No thanks.

guest · Nov 14, 2020

The iOS Covid App Ecosystem Has Become a Privacy Minefield
November 13, 2020
https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-ios-apps-privacy/

WHEN THE NOTION of enlisting smartphones to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic first surfaced last spring, it sparked a months-long debate: Should apps collect location data, which could help with contact tracing but potentially reveal sensitive information? Or should they take a more limited approach, only measuring Bluetooth-based proximity to other phones?
Now, a broad survey of hundreds of Covid-related apps reveals that the answer is all of the above. And that's made the Covid app ecosystem a kind of wild, sprawling landscape, full of potential privacy pitfalls.
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Late last month Jonathan Albright, director of the Digital Forensics Initiative at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, released the results of his analysis of 493 Covid-related iOS apps across dozens of countries. His study of those apps, which tackle everything from symptom-tracking to telehealth consultations to contact tracing, catalogs the data permissions each one requests.

At WIRED's request, Albright then broke down the data set further to focus specifically on the 359 apps that handle contact tracing, exposure notification, screening, reporting, workplace monitoring, and Covid information from public health authorities around the globe.

"It's hard to justify why a lot of these apps would need your constant location, your microphone, your photo library," Albright says. He warns that even for Covid-tracking apps built by universities or government agencies—often at the local level—that introduces the risk that private data, sometimes linked with health information, could end up out of users' control.
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guest · Nov 14, 2020

Coronavirus lockdown in Greece requires people to text authorities before leaving home
November 9, 2020
https://www.foxnews.com/world/coron...ion-sms-message-authorities-reason-leave-home

People will only be allowed to leave their homes for work, physical exercise or medical reasons, and only after sending a text message to authorities.

In the texts to the five-digit number, people will have to provide their name, address and the reason why they need to leave their home.
Permissible reasons also include taking children to school, taking a pet for a walk and visiting people who need assistance, according to Sky News.

When people venture out, they will be required to carry identification and a form detailing their reason for leaving home if they aren't able to text.
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