How Wake County is using location data from phones to evaluate stay-at-home, social distancing mandates

See BS 17 ^ | 4/16/20 | Mackenzie Stasko

[Libloather]

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Wake County is relying on cell phone data to see if people are social distancing and following the stay-at-home order.

“We have various metrics that we use including anonymous cell phone data that shows that the overwhelming majority of Wake Couny residents are staying at home,” said Wake County Commissioner Chairman Greg Ford.

Wake County’s Emergency Operation Center is keeping track by monitoring public websites from Google and Unacast. They compile anonymous cell phone data and break it down by each individual state to track where people go, for how long, and with how many people. It gives government valuable insight during the pandemic but also unveils gaps in our privacy.

“They’re [websites] getting access to mobile phone data from a third party that tracks this data,“ said Giovanni Masucci, President and CEO of National Forensics in Raleigh. “You have to assume there is no privacy when you’re using a phone.”

[Fury]

You can't trust that it is really off.

I do. We (well I watched, others did testing) tested this at work one way. Saw no signal wireless or cellular using some equipment they had in a lab at work.

Is it still possible and that "we" missed something? Yes. Is it probable? No.

[moovova]

Wake county...liberal la-la land.

[jonsie]

Thanks for posting this story. I live in Wake county and plan on going out later today. I will definitely leave my phone at home.

[Overtaxed]

Neener! Neener! I always leave my phone at home!

[Bshaw]

So true. I live in Strongsville, Ohio, you can’t drive through an intersection in this town without being captured on camera. Same goes when you enter and leave the city; you, your car and your plate are all captured on camera.

Nice little building on Pearl road full of people paid to watch the comings and goings of us taxpayers too. So no need to leave your cell phone at home.

The perks of a well-to-do suburb I suppose.

[old curmudgeon]

New normal—leave your cell phone at home!

---

First thought I had...a week or so ago.

But then I realized the big push to get people to pay by Apple Pay and similar methods will force you, as intended,. to keep your phone with you at all times.

Now some are pushing pay by cell phone to avoid the wu-flu virus that is hiding on money, credit card machines, gas pumps, etc.

Our freedoms are not being attacked on one front only,,,,like a jigsaw puzzle, many pieces come together to make the big picture.

[cgbg]

The cell phone is trouble, big trouble.

It is time to play dumb and pretend you don’t know how to use it....

[Libloather]

Heard a story about folks walking around Chapel Hill. They all got a ticket. $500 each.

[Jane Long]

Evidentally drones are being used, in several states, too...

"The drones, donated by DJI, a Chinese company, have gone to 43 agencies in 22 states, all to help enforce social distancing rules."

US using Chinese drones to spy on and lecture Americans about a virus caused by communist China

Oh, and DJI "may be sending data to China" pic.twitter.com/LqH6VzonzH— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) April 17, 2020

[JayAr36]

Won’t be long now. I expect that we will all be receiving notices in the mail that YOU WILL SHOW UP TO GET NUMBERED and these NUMBERS will be indelible. Tattoos.

[jonsie]

Whoa! Well it is Orange County, nothing but liberals live there. I just left Walmart in Raleigh, it was packed with very few wearing masks. No sign of the police.