Concerns remain that not enough people are following official distancing advice

02 has rejected claims the Government has asked it to hand over anonymous mobile phone location data to see if people are following official social distancing guidance.

People have been asked to stay at home unless they absolutely have to, but concerns remain that many are not following the advice, particularly in London where the outbreak is ‘weeks ahead’ of the rest of the country.

Sky News had initially said the Government asked for location data from 02 to see if people were obeying prevention measures before deleting their report. A spokesman for the company said the claims were ‘not true and not representative of how all phone networks are being asked to help the government’.



He said companies are only in talks at this stage and that nothing has been put in place yet. O2 said it has the ability to provide location data but said it would only relate to broad mass movements and never individuals’ data.


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02 deny claims they have been asked to hand over location data (Picture: REX)

The spokesman added: ‘We are fully engaged in helping in the fight against COVID-19. Besides zero rating access to NHS and other support websites, we were asked along with other mobile operators to support those who are working tirelessly to map and control the spread of coronavirus in the UK.

‘Using our mobile technology, we have the potential to build models that help to predict broadly how the virus might move. This would in no way be able to identify or map individuals, and operates within strict privacy guidelines ’

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Mobile phone tracking measures have been used in South Korea, which has published anonymised data about where each patient went before they were diagnosed.

Meanwhile Israel have passed an emergency law allowing them to track Covid-19 using their mobile phone data.

Transport for London have reduced services in an effort to keep more people away (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

In the UK on Tuesday Health and Social Care Committee chairman Jeremy Hunt praised the ‘striking’ use of mobile phone technology by countries like South Korea and Taiwan who have been effective at suppressing their outbreaks.

He accepted there would be ‘civil liberties implications that need to be worked through’ as he asked the Government’s chief scientific adviser if this would be a useful tool.

Sir Patrick Vallance responded: ‘I think that would have been an absolutely brilliant thing to have had in January.

‘At the beginning, that sort of approach makes total sense, it may well ave utility later on and it may well have utility as you go to a situation where you R-naught (infection measure) down and then you want to see what happens when you release.’

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