In coping with an emerging crisis, the need for accurate and actionable information is paramount for effective response – but there has never before been a scenario like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Responders are looking to new technologies including IoT and AI to help tackle this outbreak, but their deployment may have a far-reaching impact on our privacy. How can these technologies contribute to response, both globally and locally – and what privacy concerns could they raise, both now and in the months to follow? The evolution of IoT and AI has grown to the point where these technologies can now be called on to make a real contribution to responding to a crisis manifesting both globally and locally. Globally, modern analytics can learn about the factors of spread that can help analysts identify where actions need to be taken.

Waldo Photos uses facial recognition technology to identify children at sleep-away camp and send photos of them to their parents. But some privacy advocates say this technology is too new to rush into.

A photo from a summer camp posted to the camp's website so parents can view them. Venture capital-backed Waldo Photos has been selling the service to identify specific children in the flood of photos provided daily to parents by many sleep-away camps. Camps working with the Austin, Texas-based company give parents a private code to sign up. When the camp uploads photos taken during activities to its website, Waldo's facial recognition software scans for matches in the parent-provided headshots. Once it finds a match, the Waldo system (as in "Where's Waldo?") then automatically texts the photos to the child's parents.