Alternatives to sharing COVID-19 data with law enforcement: Recommendations for
stakeholders
#MMPMID33390280
Molldrem S
; Hussain MI
; McClelland A
Health Policy
2021[Feb]; 125
(2
): 135-140
PMID33390280
show ga
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in some jurisdictions, police have become involved
in enforcing coronavirus-related measures. Relatedly, several North American
jurisdictions have established COVID-19 data sharing protocols with law
enforcement. Research across a range of fields has demonstrated that involving
police in matters of public health disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable
and does more harm than good. This is reflected in the consensus against COVID-19
criminalization that has emerged among civil society organizations focused on
HIV, human rights, and harm reduction. The European Data Protection Board has
also released guidelines against re-uses of COVID-19 data for law enforcement
purposes. This article offers an overview of the harms of criminalizing illnesses
and strategies for health stakeholders to seek alternatives to sharing COVID-19
data with police agencies while facilitating interoperability with healthcare
first responders. It also presents case studies from two North American
jurisdictions - Ontario and Minnesota - that have established routine COVID-19
data sharing with police. We recommended seven alternatives, including
designating COVID-19 data as sensitive and implementing segmented
interoperability with first responder agencies. These guidelines can help ensure
that health information technology platforms do not become vehicles for the
criminalization of COVID-19, and that health data stay within the health system.
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