Amnesty blasts Bahrain, Kuwait for 'highly invasive' COVID-19 tracing apps

Amnesty International has warned apps used to trace the movements of possible COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway put the privacy of citizens at risk.
A man wearing protective gloves checks the app "Be Aware", launched by Bahrain's health authorities to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by spreading awareness and sharing updates on the situation, at a hotel in Manama, Bahrain, April 19, 2020. Picture taken April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC278G9BMSM2
A man wearing protective gloves checks the "Be Aware" app created by Bahrain's health authorities to contain the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at a hotel in Manama, Bahrain, April 19, 2020. - REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Smartphone apps used to trace the spread of the novel coronavirus in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway are putting the privacy of thousands of people at risk, Amnesty International warned Tuesday. 

Researchers at the group’s Security Lab analyzed apps in 11 countries, including those in Bahrain and Kuwait, which upload GPS-captured location data to a central database that allows live or near-live tracking of individuals. 

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