Sen. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyMassachusetts town clerk resigns after delays to primary vote count Bogeymen of the far left deserve a place in any Biden administration Senate Democrats urge Amazon to recall, stop sales of explosive products MORE (D-Mass.) pressed the White House on Wednesday on reports that it is in talks to create a national coronavirus surveillance system.

"The Trump administration has not given me or the American people any confidence that it is capable of creating or maintaining a massive health data network in a manner that doesn’t undermine our fundamental right to privacy," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement.

Politico reported Tuesday night that White House senior adviser Jared Kushner Jared Corey KushnerAbraham Accords: New hope for peace in Middle East Tenants in Kushner building file lawsuit alleging dangerous living conditions Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing MORE has reached out to several health technology companies about creating a system to give the government real-time data on where patients are seeking treatment and for what, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

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The national system would be used to determine what regions should relax or tighten social distancing guidelines.

It would also represent an unprecedented government intervention into the handling of patient health data.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill on the reported surveillance system or Markey's statement.

"As a nation, we are facing an historic public health emergency that is devastating individuals, families, and communities across this country," Markey said Wednesday.

"In moments of crisis like this, we should not simply accept the declarations by some in power who will tell us that we have to stray from the guiding principles and civil liberties that make us who we are," he added.

Rep. Suzan DelBene Suzan Kay DelBeneDemocrats say affordable housing would be a top priority in a Biden administration On The Money: McConnell not certain about fifth coronavirus package | States expected to roll out unemployment boost in late August | Navarro blasts 'stupid' Kodak execs On The Money: Economists flabbergasted after Congress leaves with no deal | Markets rise as the economy struggles | Retail sales slow in July MORE (D-Wash.), meanwhile, released a statement Wednesday urging the administration to adopt privacy principles like data anonymization, use limitations and a promise to delete any such system after the pandemic is over.

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“It is critical that we keep personal privacy top of mind as data is collected, and I am concerned that the Trump administration has not highlighted privacy as it considers collecting personal health data in response to COVID-19,” DelBene wrote.

“Public health safety and personal data privacy are not mutually exclusive. We must find a way to manage both during this crisis.”

—Updated at 2:35 p.m.