Coronavirus on the planet — now on the move, it's hard to say where there hasn't been a single case of infection among the population (most importantly, that Greenland is still kept). However, the epicenter of all this ugliness will not disappear, they can China, where taking quite stringent measures in the fight against the spread of coronavirus. One way is to Alipay Health Code. No, this is not a payment system that allows you to obtain medical assistance in private clinics. Rather it is the worst nightmare of George Orwell, because with this tool the authorities have over the citizens of China total control.
In fact, nothing to do with health, this system is (almost). This section Alipay — mobile app «by sheer coincidence» is the most popular payment method in China and installed on the smartphone many Chinese. To the system are required to connect the residents of 200 cities of China (and their number is only growing). The user downloads the app (if not yet) and provides access to personal information — sends its geolocation and city of residence, which are loaded on public servers. Already sounds bad, right? But it's not the most terrible and amazing.
After the user has sent all data, the application assigns one of the colored QR codes — green, yellow or red. If a citizen gets a green code, that means it can move without restriction; with yellow — needs to stay home for a week. And in the case of receipt of code red is guaranteed to send to the quarantine for two weeks. Obviously, this is done to ensure that potential vectors of the virus had no contact with healthy people, which is assigned a green code.
QR code inside the app Alipay. The green color allows the holder to travel freely
The Idea seems good, only no one knows which algorithm the user is assigned a particular code. No one (except the creators of this system) knows exactly how it works, and why residents of the same house can get the yellow and green code at once. Neither the company nor the Chinese officials did not explain in detail how the system klassificeret people. This caused fear and bewilderment among those who were ordered to isolate themselves and they have no idea why.
And some Chinese have received a code red, while not having any symptoms of mers . To remove a mark after a two-week quarantine is simply impossible.
According to the publication, in some cities of China is now impossible to move without this code. So, in Hangzhou, which became a pilot area for Alipay Health Code, you need to show your code to the public officials — for example, when entering the subway or guard in a large supermarket.
In addition, the scanned QR-codes are sent to the server, thereby transmitting information about the moving person. So, the system determines the route of movement of citizens. Moreover, it is connected to city surveillance systems, booking of travel tickets and other electronic services.
The Times Investigation showed that as soon as the user provides the software with access to personal data, part of the program marked as "reportInfoAndLocationToPolice", sends the server the location of the person, its name and identification code number. The software does not understand, whether it is connected to the police system. But law enforcement was one of the initiators of the development of the system.
While Chinese Internet companies often communicate with the government, the process is rarely so direct. In the United States there is something like — the centers for control and prevention of diseases using apps from Amazon and to track spread of coronavirus, and then share the user information with the police. But no one is forcing people to install on their smartphones strange with unknown functionality.
Across the country, servants at railway stations and outside the houses to record people's names, national identification numbers, contact information and details about recent travels. In some cities, residents must now register their phone numbers using the app to take advantage of public transport. The creators of Alipay Health Code saying the system has large amounts of data to automatically draw conclusions about subject anyone to the risk of infection. Sounds smart and beautiful, but... is unclear.
And this is unlikely to become easier 25-year-old Vanessa Wong, who works in Hangzhou, but a few weeks stuck in his hometown in Hubei province. She has no symptoms of the coronavirus. But she got a red QR code, and the employer and the administration of a residential complex in Hangzhou require that people have a green code that they received permission to return.
Hangzhou Officials acknowledged the concern caused by the system. At a recent press conference, they urged citizens to inform the authorities about the glitches and inaccuracies. But who from this easier? Thousands of people who received a code red at themistake? Unlikely. Share opinions about this system .
instructions for using Alipay Health Code at the entrance to the metro in Hangzhou. The QR code on the sign, you can scan to configure the software.
The Problem is that the government essentially gets another tool to monitor people, and so "raw" that the project of the freshman programming will be more consistent. One of inhabitants of China told me that her code was red for one day, although the symptoms she had, and then inexplicably changed to green. Call the support hotline gave no answers.
And yet she approves of this system.
Green code — travel freely. Red or yellow — let me know immediately.
If we were to use this system indefinitely, it would be crazy — a big headache — she said. — But during the epidemic that makes sense.
And while many of the Chinese will treat your privacy, systems like Alipay Health Code will develop.
From Alipay already has all our data. So what are we afraid of?
I Wonder what would say this a resident of China, if she hadn't gone to code red, but would remain at two weeks.
People are getting QR codes in their phones, while volunteers check their temperature before put on the market in Kunming, in southern China's Yunnan province.
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