Norwood News: New Bill to Protect Contact Tracing Data from Law Enforcement

“Rivera said he was honored to have worked with Neighborhood Defender Services, Center for Community Alternatives, The Bronx Defenders, and the New York Civil Liberties Union in drafting the new bill, based on powerful testimony he heard at the joint legislative hearing held in May on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority communities. “This legislation would ensure contact tracing data cannot be used for anything other than protecting the public’s health and stopping the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

Meanwhile, Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, said, “In the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis, our #1 priority should be the health and safety of all New Yorkers”. She added, “COVID-19 has already caused disproportionate harm to low-income communities of color. The contact tracing process is essential for helping this state recover, but it cannot be used to further target and punish communities that have already borne the brunt of this pandemic. For contact tracing to work, lawmakers must guarantee that it is purely a public health tool – not one of law enforcement and ICE.”

Read the full article here