So, it seems the Govt had wanted to "track and collate" your takeaway purchases...

_Whimsical_

In yesterday's Independent there was an article about the Govt's plans to use surveillance to ensure adherence to Covid restrictions and they had some mighty old privacy oversteps in mind. Most could be judged an infringement of basic privacy but at least somewhat logical in a public health crisis context, one however is harder to make sense of.

Seems there were plans afoot to use banking data to track takeaway purchase habits.

Takeaways were fully accounted in the rules of lockdown, they were allowed, so does anyone have any notions of just why this information might have been of interest to the powers that be?

From the article : "Meanwhile, the book also discloses details of a plan considered by government to develop a dystopian surveillance system using information CCTV, credit card transactions and mobile phone data to ensure people were adhering to social ­distancing rules.

Information from social media and banking data on takeaway habits was also to be collated and tracked under the strategy developed by consultancy firm EY.

“What emerged was an almost Orwellian plan, bizarrely dubbed 1 Government Centre (1GC),” the book says."

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/load-of-horsese-dr-tony-holohans-reaction-to-government-plan-and-lack-of-trust-in-stephen-donnelly-on-pandemic-matters-41606011.html

One eyed Jack

It’s plausible that the collection of this data may have had something to do with the relationship between takeaway habits, some peoples habit of posting their meals on social media, risk of obesity, and susceptibility to the virus -

https://www.science.org/content/article/why-covid-19-more-deadly-people-obesity-even-if-theyre-young

That being said, I agree with Dr. Tony Holohan’s assessment of the plan - load of shìte, sums it up accurately.

drunkmonkey

They were using some of that data, are they trying to rewrite history here.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40214021.html

Victor

No. The consultancy firm put it out there that it is something that could be done. There is no suggestion in the article that it was taken seriously

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119008238#Comment_119008238

What was the main take away from the report?

Chinese?

SEPT 23 1989

Any chance these "consultants" can be named?

I would like to know to where to avoid these sociopaths

road_high

Is this to pick up on illegal rubbish dumping? Take away disposal is a big problem but not sure more nanny statism is the answer

Wanderer78

our data is already being collected by both state and private sector industries, this has more or less always been the case, in the digital age, this has sky rocketed, get over it!

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058244245/so-it-seems-the-govt-had-wanted-to-track-and-collate-your-takeaway-purchases

I'm guessing the idea was that it could be used to prove / disprove people's claims that the 30 miles they travelled outside of their area was just to get food.

In any case it was just something that some consultants indicated would be possible in a report but it was never put into action or went any further.

jmcc

Sounds like a wannabe Stasi effort from people who know buzzwords and feck all else.

Regards...jmcc