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Controversy Erupts as CDC Reportedly Buys Cell Phone Data to Monitor COVID-19 Lockdown Compliance

ByAlki David

Mar 26, 2023

In the latest development in the ongoing fight against COVID-19, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reportedly purchased location data from millions of cell phones to track compliance with lockdown measures. According to a new report from Vice News, the CDC paid $420,000 to data brokerage SafeGraph for a year of access to this information.

The move has sparked controversy and raised concerns about privacy, as many people were not aware that their cell phone data could be used in this way. The data was collected and aggregated to show general trends rather than the movements of specific phones, but some privacy advocates worry that this is just the beginning of a trend towards increased government surveillance.

The CDC has defended the decision, arguing that the data was used for public health purposes only and that it was important to track compliance with lockdown measures in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. However, critics argue that this kind of surveillance sets a dangerous precedent and could lead to further encroachments on civil liberties.

The use of technology to track and monitor the public is a contentious issue that has been debated for years. While some argue that these measures are necessary for public safety, others worry that they represent a slippery slope towards a dystopian future in which privacy is a thing of the past.

In response to the controversy, the CDC has promised to be more transparent about its use of data in the future, but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to reassure those who are concerned about the growing reach of government surveillance.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.