Opinion: I'm Not Good With Any Kind of Contact Tracing Ever

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created situations that many of us have never considered before. The challenge of how we overcome this has brought up a new phrase called contact tracing. For the record, I'm not OK with this kind of monitoring ever and I'll explain why.

If you're not familiar with what contact tracing is, I'd recommend you read the full CDC website description. Here's a snippet:

Contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department personnel for decades, is a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19. Immediate action is needed.

How do they conduct contact tracing? It's a complicated answer, but the short answer is electronic surveillance. This is where it gets tricky. CNET shared a story about contact tracing apps coming to phones. Science Magazine also documented what contact tracing means for your devices. There is even talk of communities using drones to monitor the temperature of citizens to try and identify potential infected people as reported on by Marketplace.

In my opinion, this kind of surveillance should raise all kinds of alarm bells if you understand and appreciate freedom. It's a very fine line between looking out for the better health of the community and the government knowing where you are every minute of the day WITHOUT CAUSE. That's where I draw the line.

Let me be clear again that this is just my opinion and not that of this radio station or anyone else. I speak for myself. I will say that I'm not the only person concerned about how contact tracing affect privacy. Utah just proposed a new law because of privacy concerns regarding contact tracing.

I've never broken the law other than one minor speeding ticket when I was 16 years old. I've never had COVID-19 or any symptoms indicating that it's possible. The government has no CAUSE for monitoring me.

Let me also state that I do follow all CDC guidelines for social distancing and quarantining. I am the only one who leaves our home to get food for my family or run errands. I respect the 6 feet or more guidelines for protecting others IF I were to be infected, but not know it. But, I draw the line when the government says they want to monitor my 24-hour whereabouts for any reason.

I also want to add that I am fine with quarantining myself if I become symptomatic or if someone I've been in contact with tests positive for COVID-19. I'm not trying to be reckless, but this type of monitoring walks a really fine line between safety and liberty.

I realize we live in unprecedented times. I know that extraordinary measures will likely be needed to overcome this pandemic. But, be sure to read the fine print when contact tracing is thrown out there as a requirement. It could be that I'm misunderstanding some aspect of this, but I am a law-abiding American and I am free. For now.