MEP Patrick Breyer: Protect us, do not trace us!

This morning the EU Parliament debated the use of contact tracing apps in the fight against the corona virus. These apps should be a “key part” of the return to normality after the coronavirus pandemic, the EU Council said.

In his speech, MEP Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) strongly opposed the planned corona tracing systems for digital behaviour recording and warned of the consequences.

Patrick Breyer in plenary:

“Mr President, it is not only Edward Snowden who warns that permanent control and monitoring structures are being set up in the slipstream of the corona pandemic.

Although the pandemic is now under control in Europe, politicians want to make the return to our normal lives conditional on our entering into a social experiment in digital behaviour recording.

Up to now, finding out the contact persons of infected people and notifying them has been done by humans. According to studies, this protects us much better than any app and avoids massive numbers of false alarms.

Who of you really believes that once contact recording technology has been introduced, it will remain voluntary throughout Europe? This is an illusion!

Dear governments, provide sufficient protective equipment and health care, testing facilities, vaccine supplies, and prepare for future pandemics! That is what you owe us, not data collection!”