As millions of people in China emerge from weeks of lockdown, their freedom of movement is largely dependent on smartphone apps.
The “health code” service — run on the ubiquitous platforms Alipay and WeChat, and developed for the Chinese government — gives users color-coded designations based on their health status and travel history, and a quick response (QR) code that can be scanned by authorities.
The apps are specific to each city or province, but generally people given a “green” code are allowed to travel relatively freely.
A “yellow” code indicates that the holder should be in home isolation, while a “red” code means the user is a confirmed COVID-19 patient and should be in quarantine.
The apps have become an integral part of the Chinese government’s management of people, and their movements in and out of affected areas.
When lockdown restrictions in Hubei Province were lifted last week, the government allowed residents with a green code to travel within and out of the province.
Some restaurants, shops, hotels and other establishments ask patrons to show their QR codes before entering.
In Wuhan, only those with a green code are allowed to take public transport.
However, the technology has raised concerns about its reach into people’s private lives and data.
There have been complaints by Chinese social media users about a lack of transparency over how the app works and what data it is storing. Some have reported being unable to change erroneous red designations, and questioned the reliance on Internet connection and surveillance.
“Why should you let companies such as Alipay and WeChat monitor and trace you with the health code?” one netizen wrote. “Can’t it be integrated into the chip of our ID card? And some people’s mobile phones are not connected to the Internet. I don’t know what leaders are thinking?”
The apps rely on a combination of self-reporting by the user and government data, including a person’s medical records, their travel history and if they have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
Screen shots taken of an English-language version of the Alipay app showed that applicants are asked for contact and passport details, recent travel details and medical certification.
Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba that operates Alipay, said that it does not provide or operate the service and has no access to the data entered into it.
The company said it provided technical support to the Hangzhou City Government when it was developing its version of the software.
Official guidelines for the WeChat app say it takes basic identity and address details, as well as “the history of close contact with suspected patients, history of travel and residence.”
It draws on medical information, including “symptoms [such as fever, cough], medical treatment, isolated observation, contact information, travel history of the epidemic area,” and the user’s travel history, including the mode of travel and what seat they sat in, and details of the vehicle and its driver.
The health code app, launched in Hangzhou in early February and described by state media as “Alipay health code,” spread to more than 100 cities within a week before it was rolled out nationally.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS