OECD Releases New Guidance on Privacy and Contact Tracing

The OECD has released "Tracking and tracing COVID:Protecting privacy and data while using apps and biometrics." The OECD warns that "current digital solutions for monitoring and containment have varying implications for privacy and data protection." The OECD recommends that "fully transparent and accountable privacy-preserving solutions should be embedded by design to balance the benefits and the risks associated with personal data collection, process and sharing. Data should be retained only for so long as is necessary to serve the specific purpose for which it was collected." The report is one of several published by the OECD on "Tackling Coronavirus (COVID-19): Contributing to a Global Effort." Garry Kasparov was among 70 experts and NGOs who recently applauded the OECD's response to the pandemic and also urged the organization to "continue to uphold the democratic values on which the OECD is based."