In 2020, hundreds of people in the Old City in Jerusalem received a shocking text. The message informed them that they will be held accountable for their participation in the unrest in the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is despite the fact that they claim to have nothing to do with the acts of violence in question.
Apparently, the Shin Bet, officially the Israel Security Agency, had been using COVID-19 contact tracing technology for other uses. In an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, governments collected key personal details from constituents.
Unfortunately, the same technology that made this possible is now being used for global surveillance. This has been happening in China, Israel, India, and Australia. AUthorities have been using them to harass activists, marginalized communities, and even regular civilians.
It does not seem like this will stop soon either. The pandemic is not to blame as it only accelerated what was already coming. At any rate, data collection for the benefit of the general public is now being used to quell resistance.