Against Corona: Vodafone boss makes explosive proposal

Data protection and the fight against Corona – both have been at odds with each other in recent months. Now the Vodafone boss is in favor of using the data from cell phone customers to fight the pandemic. For him, the advantages outweigh the advantages, but what changes for the customers?

Vodafone boss wants to pass on data – also personal

“Mobility data can help to cope with the crisis faster and better – so you should consider whether you could use it better.” Hannes Ametsreiter, head of Vodafone Germany, said in an interview with Spiegel. Cellular data could help lay the foundation for “big decisions in a pandemic”. With this, the manager is on the side of those who see previous measures such as the Corona warning app restricted in their functionality – precisely because of the strict data protection rules.

One should think about using anonymized data on a large scale. This could be used to track contacts in certain areas or groups of people. In Austria, for example, mobile phone providers would pass such movement data on to the government. Because these are not personal, he sees no conflict with data protection. But Ametsreiter keeps loud n-tv further steps are conceivable. So he got that mirror said: “Personalized data would be a far-reaching step, but you should be able to think about and talk about it yourself.” One must be able to discuss such approaches “if that brings us back other freedoms sooner”.

In addition to contact tracking and the mask requirement, the AHA rules are important:

What will change for Vodafone customers?

In Germany, data that allow conclusions to be drawn about individual persons is only permitted with the consent of the person concerned. As a result, the Vodafone boss’ approach is currently just an idea. Vodafone customers do not need to worry that their cellular data will be used for contact tracking without their consent. Ametsreiter joins the ongoing debate with his proposal as to whether data protection or health protection should have priority. So far, data protection has continued to be upheld in Germany during the pandemic. Should that change in the future, it would not only affect Vodafone and its customers, but also those of Telekom and o2.