Discussing Privacy and Surveillance on Twitter: A Case Study of COVID-19

TL;DR

This paper examines privacy concerns and surveillance practices on Twitter during COVID-19, analyzing user data and policies to understand public opinion and inform government data protection strategies.

Contribution

It provides a case study of Twitter's role in pandemic-related surveillance and explores privacy implications during health crises.

Findings

Twitter users express privacy concerns during COVID-19

Analysis reveals variations in data sharing policies

Insights into public opinion on surveillance measures

Abstract

Technology is uniquely positioned to help us analyze large amounts of information to provide valuable insight during widespread public health concerns, like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, information technology companies like Apple and Google have recently launched tools for contact tracing-the ability to process location data to determine the people who have been in contact with a possible patient, in order to contain the spread of the virus. While China and Singapore have successfully led the effort, more and more countries are now implementing such surveillance systems, raising potential privacy concerns about this long term surveillance. For example, it is not clear what happens to the information post-pandemic because people are more likely to share their information during a global crisis without governments having to elaborate on their data policies. Digital Ethnography on Twitter, which has over 330 million users worldwide, with a majority in the United States where the pandemic has the worst effects provides a unique opportunity to learn about real-time opinions of the general public about current affairs in a rather naturalistic setting. Consequently, it might be useful to highlight the privacy concerns of users, should they exist, through analysis of Twitter data and information sharing policies during unprecedented public health outbreaks. This will allow governments to protect their citizens both during and after health emergencies.