UK: O2 shares aggregated location data with government to test compliance with distancing guidelines

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Mobile network operator O2 is providing aggregated data to the UK government to analyse anonymous smartphone location data in order to show people are following the country's social distancing guidelines, particularly in London, which to date accounts for about 40% of the UK's confirmed cases and 30% of deaths. The project is not designed to monitor individuals. Lessons from the impact on London of travel restrictions could then be applied in the rest of the country. The government says it has only asked O2 for data, rather than all mobile networks, in order to comply with data protection law and avoid combining multiple datasets.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-government-using-mobile-location-data-to-tackle-outbreak-11960050

Writer: Alexander Martin

Publication: Sky News