Carter 1

Brianne Carter

ENC 1102

Professor McGriff

2/17/2022

Annotated Bibliography

Auxier, Brooke. “How Americans See Digital Privacy Issues amid the COVID-19 Outbreak.”
Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 27 Aug. 2020,
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/04/how-americans-see-digital-privacy-
issues-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/.

This article explores the numbers behind the topic of government data collection. By
providing evidence supplied by polling Americans, the author is showing rather than
telling of how influential and upmost data collection is in the minds of US citizens.
Overall, it is proven that people believe that their data is not secure, and that everyday
people do not understand the complete data collection process. The author even points out
that most Americans believe they are always being tracked even without their permission.

The author of this article has collected data from many different polls taken to provide
insight into how America views privacy when it comes to their personal data. The author is
simply presenting these numbers to the audience, so there seems to be very little bias by
letting the number speak for themselves. Looking through the publication, I believe this is
a good source to pull from as it seems well researched and reputable.

As I searched for sources, this one stuck out to me because of the informative graphs that
the author provided. I really like visual data, and this was helpful for putting it into
perspective for me. This article will really help me solidify my argument and provide my
audience with good visuals about the information I am talking about. It will also help back
up two of my other sources that said that Americans were not pleased about their private
information being shared. This will go a long way to help my topic, and overall thesis
statement.

Ballard, Ben. “Government Contractors Have Collected Tons of Our Data in the Pandemic. What
Happens to It Now?” Slate Magazine, Slate, 15 July 2021,
slate.com/technology/2021/07/government-data-collection-covid-transparency.html.

This article discusses the changes in user privacy brought about during a worldwide
pandemic. The author explains how government agencies throughout time have collected
user data, but only now are they deciding whether they should be transparent about it or
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not. The public knows to some extent that their information is being collected, but not
exactly the how or the why. The article goes on to explain that the government has use the
pandemic as a stepping stool to make contracts with private companies to collect data,
without disclosing to the public how it will affect them. The author then argues that it is
important for the public to understand the inner working of these government contracts as
it might be a detriment to civil liberties. Overall, the article argues that the government
should be held accountable for their abuse of the system during a time at which everyone is
vulnerable.

This article is very clearly an opinion piece, with the author having a clear bias against the
government collecting data. However, I do find that this article is well researched and does
not spout unfounded claims. I think the author makes his point without crossing the line,
and also has a lot of useful facts to back him up. The article is kind of on the short side, but
I think that the examples the author provides are still quite valuable.

I really was drawn to this article because it is clear that the author is passionate about the
topic. I feel that I have a lot of great educational and factual sources but not enough
opinion pieces, so this article will help balance that out. And while the article is biased, it is
also informative, and I appreciate the excellent points that the author makes. Overall, I
think this article will touch on the “people” aspect of my paper as well as supporting the
argument side. Several quotes from the article would be great for my introduction or first
paragraph.

Cong, Wanshu. “From Pandemic Control to Data-Driven Governance: The Case of China's
Health Code.” Frontiers In Political Science, Frontiers, 14 Apr. 2021,
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2021.627959/full.

This article explores how a country like China is creating new technologies in order to
collect data on its citizens. Digital contact tracing is discussed in detail in this article, and
the author explains how it works to combat the pandemic. The author points out that this
leads to questions as to whether they are pushing the boundaries of privacy by allowing
data collection to become more mainstream. The author also brings up the issue of human
rights but points out that China is not entirely concerned about overstepping their citizens
right to privacy.

The article is informative, and from a reliable source. The author is clearly educated, as the
article is well done and seem to be well organized. I do not believe this article is heavily
biased, as the tone of the entire article seems to be purely informative rather than trying to
persuade the reader in either direction. Overall, it is a valuable look into global data
collection.

As I was searching for articles, I came across this one and I thought it would be perfect for
explaining the details of contact tracing. It is a difficult topic to understand, and I believe
the author did a good job of breaking it down. And while the article mainly talks about
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China, I think I can still use the research provided because it is still relevant to the
technologies used in the US. It will also help me prove that when some lines are crossed,
its hard to come back from them.

Ercolano, Patrick. “For the Public, Data Collection during COVID-19 Offers Benefits-and Poses
Hazards.” The Hub, Johns Hopkins University, 24 July 2020,
https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/07/24/itay-fainmesser-online-data-collection/.

This article discusses the increase of internet usage during the pandemic and how this
increase is causing private medical data to be collected without express user consent.
Because of the past few years, people have migrated to manage more of their lives online
through shopping, seeking medical attention, or simply looking up information on Covid
itself. Because of this marked transition into cyberspace, websites and apps have taken the
opportunity to profit off of this trend. Big web corporations such as Google have always
collected user data in order to personalize user experience, but never before to this extent.
Because of this, some seek to try and regain user privacy by taxing companies for
collection massive amounts of user data. Some even propose fining companies when
private information is leaked or stolen. Such actions might just help to curb the appetite of
those companies that wish to collect private data.

This article was well formulated and concise. I appreciated how informative it was about
how data collection and internet usage has increased. I trust this source especially because
it is from a well-respected university, but I do think it is lacking in data to back up the
claims provided. There is a clear bias in it, but it will be useful for me to prop up some of
my points with.

This article was extremely helpful for me to understand how widespread data collection is
and has been over the past couple years. I also found it interesting to see that some people
are proposing new policies that tax companies for collecting data. This will provide me
with some kind of “resolve” in my paper on how it is possible for data collection to be
limited in the future. I probably won’t rely heavily on this article though, as it is more
about the private sector rather than the government as some of the other articles do.

“Privacy Cannot Be a Casualty of the Coronavirus.” The New York Times, The New York Times,
7 Apr. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/digital-privacy-
coronavirus.html.

This article discusses the changes made to user privacy throughout the last few years of the
pandemic. The article points to the rise of conferencing apps like Zoom that have been
used by millions of people, but the company itself has not taken the necessary steps to
protect private information. The author protests that big tech companies have gotten more
and more greedy for private information as a way to sell their products. And not only to
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sell, but to track habits of consumers and physical locations as well. With this amount of
privacy on the line, and the sheer magnitude of data being collected, there is an alarmingly
lack of security for either.

This article is an opinion piece, so it is biased against data collection. It is published by the
New York Times, so it is a trusted news source for many people. The article itself painted a
vivid picture without going over the top, and I think the author did well to stick to the facts
rather than to slip into any rhetoric. They pose genuine concerns, while allowing the
audience to come to their own conclusions.

I saw this article and thought it made some very good points. I like the way it is written,
kind of like a discussion to the reader. It is more laid back in terms of writing (clearly not
academic), but I like how they were quoting “normal” people in the article. I think this will
help ground my paper a little, and make sure it is not all monotones. I also think that some
of the points brought up were especially well supported, so I want to address those in my
paper as well.

Pyo, Sunyoung, et al. “The Potential Role of Open Data in Mitigating the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Challenges and Opportunities: Health Affairs Forefront.” Health Affairs, Project Hope, 2
Nov. 2020, https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20201029.94898/full/.

In this article, the authors present the collection of data as a necessary and useful tool that
has helped governments around the world to stop the spread of Covid-19. They use the
example of how the government of South Korea used geocoding to track their infected
citizens wherever they went. Thus, the author points out how such technology can help the
other citizens stay away from areas of high infection. However, the author also admits that
this type of data collection has led to some people getting harassed and even discriminated
against, so the danger of such tracking is quite real.

Overall, this article did provide a lot of evidence into how useful data tracking has been
throughout the pandemic. I do believe that the author is a little overzealous in their opinion
of how data collection is vital to modern society, and how it should continue to be used.
And while they make some good points to support their argument, I think they overlook a
great deal of the privacy threat that such tracking is to its users.
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This article will be helpful for me to use in my paper because it does a great job of
describing how governments around the world have used data collection to pry into the
private lives of their civilians. The authors give excellent examples and seem to be pro-data
collection, while practically ignoring the invasiveness of data tracking which helps support
my point that most people have not thought about the ramifications. And while I can admit
that such tracking is useful during a time such a Covid, I do think it opens the door on what
should and shouldn’t be accepted by users as far as their data collection goes.

Ram, Natalie, and David Gray. “Mass Surveillance in the Age of Covid-19.” Journal of Law and
the Biosciences, vol. 7, no. 1, 8 May 2020, pp. 1–17., Oxford Academic,
https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsaa023.

This article goes into detail about the inner workings of Digital Contact Tracing, its
recent uses during the epidemic, and argues whether or not it is constitutional. The
author argues that perhaps the US should exercise caution when it comes to DCT, as
it comes dangerously close to contradicting the 4th amendment. The article also
stipulates that it is reasonable to be skeptical about emerging DCT technology, even
if it is being touted as “necessary” during such a national emergency as Covid-19.
Going forward, the author urges to err on the side of caution so that the US can both
combat the epidemic and protect constitutional liberties.

This article informs the reader of the wide-ranging implications of Digital Contact
Tracing technologies, and how they might be encroaching on the 4th amendment. I
believe the author does an excellent job setting the stage and explaining what DCT is
and how it has been used by governments globally to monitor their citizens. The
article is objective, but clearly biased at times. It is well researched and argues may
good points on how DCT has already begun to go too far.

I picked this article because I believe it supports the topic of both data surveillance
and the government’s involvement in such matters. It is relevant to the research
questions as it not only covers how Covid-19 has affected DCT, but it also argues
whether such technology is constitutional for the government to use. The points
brought up in this article would be perfect for arguing against the collection of data
in a paper.

Ribeiro-Navarrete, Samuel, et al. “Towards a New Era of Mass Data Collection: Assessing
Pandemic Surveillance Technologies to Preserve User Privacy.” Technological
Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 167, 22 Feb. 2021, pp. 1–14., Elsevier Public
Health Emergency Collection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120681.
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In this article, the author discusses how Covid-19 has deeply influenced how data
collection is used and monitored. The article goes over current methods of data
collection and how they are used. The author also includes a study that explores the
different aspects of data collection that serve individual purposes such as security.
The article mentions that an individual’s mobile device can be used to help
government agencies analyze relevant data that may help curb future epidemics and
seeks to uncover whether this can be proven or disproven. Overall, it is concluded
that while certainly problematic, such data collection may prove helpful to protect
users. However, it can be argued that collection of such thoroughly private data
should not be so easily glossed over.

This article truly digs deep into the meaning of “data collection” and the many
different types that exist. The author does a very thorough job of explaining
information and providing evidence without a completely biased viewpoint. The
article is objective and informatic, allowing the audience to educate themselves
without overwhelming bias.

I liked this article because it provides a wealth of meaningful information on the

nitty gritty details of data collection. It explores the topic of data collection during
an epidemic and goes into exactly how a user’s privacy is being affected. It also
provides useful graphs that I can put in my paper to give evidence for what I am
arguing. Therefore, this article would prove invaluable for a paper, as it is filled
with detailed and current research on the topic which other publications cannot
provide as easily.

Volbrecht, Tate. “State and Federal Data Collection Update Efforts Should Respect Federalism
and State Autonomy Concerns.” Georgetown Law, Georgetown Law SALPAL,
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/salpal/our-work/student-writing/state-and-federal-data-
collection-update-efforts-should-respect-federalism-and-state-autonomy-concerns/.

This article argues that while personal data is highly collected, more important data on the
state level is going unreported. The government is doing more spy on its citizens than it is
to help them as many hate crimes go unreported and a lot of important data is lost or
mishandled. The author points out the weaknesses of the government data infrastructure
and emphasizes that there needs to be more done to hold the government accountable for
the data they are supposed to be in charge of.

This article is clearly an opinion piece, which lends itself to being biased. However, as the
author is a law student, I believe there is more credibly in what they are saying about the
topic. Overall, I find the opinion to be a valid one although it does focus on many different
points rather than just one or two. This kind of makes the article disjointed in places, so it
is not as informative as it could be.
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I think this article is a little too focused on several different aspects of government data
collection. It will certainly not be a main source, but I like the differing take the author has
on the topic. I also appreciate the source itself (a law major) so it might be helpful to
support a point rather than make one. I think it might also relate well to the article I have
citing the need for the government to focus more on itself in regards to keeping up with
data.

Zwitter, Andrej, and Oskar J. Gstrein. “Big Data, Privacy and Covid-19 – Learning from
Humanitarian Expertise in Data Protection - Journal of International Humanitarian
Action.” Journal of International Humanitarian Action, Springer International Publishing,
18 May 2020, https://jhumanitarianaction.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41018-020-
00072-6.

This journal argues the legitimacy of government data collection during and after a global
event such as the pandemic. It discusses the legal ramifications of the continued (and
sometimes elevated) use of data collection by the government. The author also points out
that there are very few safeguards against the government taking advantage of personal
data. Another point that is brought up is how the humanitarian sector collects data without
violating the privacy of people. The journal also goes into detail on how security is being
valued above personal freedoms by allowing the government and big companies have
unlimited access to private data.

This journal is quite well done and has a clear-cut tone throughout the paper. It is not
overly biased and is well researched by both authors. They provide their sources (of which
there are multiple) from a mirid of different publications. The humanitarian side of it was
unexpected, but a welcome fresh viewpoint to explore. There is a substantial amount of
evidence given, while the authors argue their points intelligently.

This article is overwhelmingly detailed and thorough in its analysis of government data
tracking during a global health crisis. I was very happy to find this, as it is an excellent
resource for my argument. It covers government data collection and how it is a violation of
human rights and goes into how it can be managed in a way that is not as invasive. This
will help support my thesis as well as many of the other articles I found that didn’t have
enough information to help my argument. I think this will be one of my main sources
throughout my paper, but I think I would like a counterpoint to it, as the argument may be
too one sided.