Asia Pacific Jul 7, 2020
Arrested under new law, Hong Kong protesters get swabbed for DNA
by Jamie Tarabay
Police made their first arrests last week under a sweeping new security law imposed by China, taking 10 protesters into custody.
National Jun 19, 2020
Japan's coronavirus contact-tracing app launched amid privacy concerns
"It does not collect personal data at all. People can use it without worry," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in urging its use to curb the pandemic.
National / Crime & Legal Jun 8, 2020
Japan's LDP wants mandatory GPS monitoring of convicted sex offenders
The proposals also seek to improve support for the victims of sex crimes and measures to prevent reoffending.
National Jun 5, 2020
Japan panel calls for disclosing cyberbullies' names and phone numbers
Under the current law, people must go through multiple court proceedings before they can identify individuals who make hateful posts against them.
National / Reference | FYI Jun 4, 2020
Japan's smart cities: Technological dreams or 'Big Brother' nightmares?
by Eric Johnston
Late last month, the Diet passed a revised bill paving the way for so-called “super cities” or “smart cities.” Supporters tout them as high-tech marvels where artificial intelligence and big data are to be used to provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions to social ...
National May 31, 2020
Japan's new contact-tracing app: 'security blanket' or effective tool?
by Tomohiro Osaki
Minimally intrusive and conditional on consent, the app's privacy concerns are minimal, with widespread penetration its largest obstacle to success, observers say.
World May 20, 2020
Surveillance and monitoring invade European post-pandemic workplaces
A "Romware Covid Radius bracelet” beeps every time a Tata Steel Ltd. worker in the U.K. or a docker at Belgium’s Antwerp port is within virus-catching distance of someone. At Bouygues SA construction sites and in Sanofi and Schneider Electric SE offices in France ...
National May 20, 2020
LDP seeks to require My Number holders to link to deposit account
The LDP will call on the government to introduce related bills to an ordinary session of the Diet next year, party officials said.
Asia Pacific May 13, 2020
Green or red light: China coronavirus app is ticket to everywhere
To enter many offices, restaurants, parks or malls in China nowadays, people must show their status on an app that determines whether they are a coronavirus threat. There is often a moment of tension before opening the app on arriving at a location. A green light ...
Asia Pacific / Science & Health May 8, 2020
South Korea tracks new coronavirus outbreak in Seoul nightclubs
South Korean health authorities are investigating a small but growing coronavirus outbreak centered in a handful of Seoul nightclubs, seeking to keep infections in check as the country moves to less restrictive social distancing measures. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said ...
World May 5, 2020
Apple and Google ban use of location tracking in coronavirus contact tracing apps
Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google on Monday said they would ban the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system the two are building to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Apple and Google, whose operating systems ...
National Apr 30, 2020
A dispatch from the heart of Japan’s coronavirus epidemic
by Ryusei Takahashi
Disputes over privacy rights and disjointed data collection are spurring tensions between reporters and Tokyo officials about the capital's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.