Abstract
The growing dependency on digital technologies is becoming a way of life, and at the same time, the collection of data using them for surveillance operations has raised concerns. Notably, some countries use digital surveillance technologies for tracking and monitoring individuals and populations to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus. The technology has the capacity to contribute towards tackling the pandemic effectively, but the success also comes at the expense of privacy rights. The crucial point to make is regardless of who uses and which mechanism, in one way another will infringe personal privacy. Therefore, when considering the use of technologies to combat the pandemic, the focus should also be on the impact of facial recognition cameras, police surveillance drones, and other digital surveillance devices on the privacy rights of those under surveillance. The GDPR was established to ensure that information could be shared without causing any infringement on personal data and businesses; therefore, in generating Big Data, it is important to ensure that the information is securely collected, processed, transmitted, stored, and accessed in accordance with established rules. This paper focuses on Big Data challenges associated with surveillance methods used within the COVID-19 parameters. The aim of this research is to propose practical solutions to Big Data challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemic surveillance approaches. To that end, the researcher will identify the surveillance measures being used by countries in different regions, the sensitivity of generated data, and the issues associated with the collection of large volumes of data and finally propose feasible solutions to protect the privacy rights of the people, during the post-COVID-19 era.
Highlights
The urgent need to manage and find solutions to overcome the effects of the coronavirus necessitates collecting data in large volumes
There is much interest in privacy as nations are engaged in collecting massive amounts of personal data of their citizens in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The positive steps taken by individual states or collectively by groups of states, the European Union being one, demonstrate the importance of regulating data collection and the impact on the privacy rights of the citizens
Summary
The urgent need to manage and find solutions to overcome the effects of the coronavirus necessitates collecting data in large volumes. Big Data acquisition and storage apparently poses a significant threat to the privacy of individuals, and on the plus side, it helps make informative decisions that are crucial for the prevention of COVID-19. Data protection law faces many challenges in the digital age, and the emergence of Big Data is the most conspicuous and challenging. In the Big Data era, the public enjoys many benefits that Internet technology offers to them, but they do face potential privacy breaches. The failure to protect user accounts and personal data will directly threaten their privacy and security.
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