Imagine a global epidemic managed with Orwellian surveillance methods worthy of 1984. According to several Internet users, this is currently happening in Australia: “To monitor people, the state sends them a text. Then they have 5 minutes to take a selfie to prove that they are at home, otherwise the police will show up. “For several days, Twitter users have been warning about the surveillance methods that would be used in Australia, where containment measures have followed one another since June in the various states in the face of the third wave of Covid-19. For example, some 5 million people in Sydney are confined, a measure which should be lifted on October 11.
What is it really ? 20 minutes conducted the investigation.
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The viral tweet deceptively presents an ongoing scheme in a single state on the continent. The government of South Australia developed an application in early September to control the quarantine of travelers entering the territory. At present, “travelers authorized to enter Australia are subject to a compulsory quarantine of fourteen days, at their expense, in a place designated by the local authorities”, underlines the Quai d’Orsay.
On the South Australian government website, frequently asked questions specifies the contours of the application. “Home Quarantine South Australia” allows travelers “to quarantine themselves at home”. “It will increase South Australia’s quarantine capacity and provide a safe, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to hospital-based hotel quarantine,” the government page explains. The compulsory dimension is totally excluded: “Home Quarantine SA is based on a voluntary basis for the moment. “
How does the app work? It records’ your location with each random recording request. [envoyée par les autorités] to make sure you are at your declared address ”. After the request of the authorities, “you have 15 minutes to register”. It is specified that “Home Quarantine SA uses geolocation and live facial recognition recordings”.
If you don’t confirm your whereabouts, the app team calls you to “discuss the reasons why you missed your check-in”. And if that call also goes unanswered, “a compliance officer can come to the approved address to verify that you are safe and that you are following your instructions.”