ROME, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Italy's privacy regulator on Thursday okayed a temporary decree that will allow the government to use "digital contact tracing" to track the movements of people infected by the coronavirus or who may have come into contact with infected individuals.
In a statement from the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data (Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Peronali) -- Italy's privacy watchdog -- Antonello Soro, president of the regulator, said the government will have the right to use the model of limiting the spread of the virus by tracing the movements of those most at risk of spreading the virus.
According to the statement, Soro said the measure "was not a question of suspending privacy rights [but rather] of providing effective tools to contain the outbreak while balancing respect for the rights of our citizens."
When these tools are used, Soro said, the government would take "extraordinary care" to assure the data gathered is protected.
"We have the capacity to minimize any danger of abuse, according to the basic principles of precaution and prevention," Soro said, adding "This utilizes security measures and data protection guarantees already in place."
Soro also said the data will be gathered in the "least invasive way possible" and that the temporary measures would be suspended once risks from the pandemic are eliminated.
Soro's remarks came as Italy battles to reduce the spread of the virus, which has so far infected more than 80,000 people, leaving more than 8,000 dead.
