Western Galilee College, Hamichlala Road, 2412101, Akko, Israel.
Isr J Health Policy Res. 2020 Nov 25;9(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s13584-020-00429-7.
In a bid to reduce infection rates by COVID-19 the authorities in some countries, in collaboration with medical regulators and experts, have employed digital technologies to control and regulate citizens' behavior. Public opinion and the public's compliance with these technologies come into play here. The objective of the present study was to examine attitudes expressed in the public discourse toward the use of digital technologies to control people's behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reflected in the media.
Qualitative analysis was performed on posts and comments submitted in response to 12 articles that appeared on the four leading Israeli news sites, on three significant occasions: first, upon the announcement of the use of surveillance technologies by the Israeli security agency (ISA); second, upon the announcement of the launch of the Health Ministry's app that tracks contacts with COVID-19 patients; and third, following reports of petitions lodged with Israel's supreme court challenging the use of surveillance technologies. The analysis was performed using ATLAS-Ti software for systematic analysis.
A total of 2551 posts and comments referring to these 12 articles were found, 714 of which were relevant to the purpose of the study. The analysis revealed disagreement between those who supported the measures taken and opponents. Supporters regarded contact tracing by means of digital technologies as essential to the effort to protect people during the pandemic, and believed that employing the ISA's capabilities was the correct way to combat the epidemic. Opponents of the measures rejected the use of tracking technologies, regarding this step as a move toward dictatorship and a violation of fundamental civil rights. Some proposed alternative measures that would obviate the use of such tracking.
The primary task of medical practice is to heal illness and alleviate suffering. The debate surrounding the employment of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the complexity of the close connection between social control and care in times of pandemic. The context of this pandemic has highlighted the interrelatedness of advanced digital surveillance technologies, medical care, and social control exercised by authorities and medical regulators and experts, which raises issues of transparency, trust and mistrust among the public. These issues become all the more relevant when the number of patients grows rapidly, the authorities need to deal with the extended ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the country has entered a second lockdown, and the public must be persuaded to comply with highly restrictive regulations. Recommendations to policy makers, practical implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
为降低 COVID-19 感染率，一些国家的当局与医疗监管机构和专家合作，利用数字技术来控制和规范公民的行为。在这里，公众意见和公众对这些技术的遵守程度发挥了作用。本研究的目的是检查媒体中反映的公众对在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用数字技术控制人们行为的态度。
对 12 篇文章的帖子和评论进行了定性分析，这些文章出现在四个以色列主要新闻网站上的三个重要时刻：一是以色列安全局宣布使用监控技术；二是卫生部发布了一款追踪与 COVID-19 患者接触的应用程序；三是报道了向以色列最高法院提起的质疑使用监控技术的请愿书。使用 ATLAS-Ti 软件进行了系统分析。
共发现了 2551 篇与这 12 篇文章相关的帖子和评论，其中 714 篇与研究目的相关。分析显示，支持和反对这些措施的人之间存在分歧。支持者认为，通过数字技术进行接触者追踪对于保护人们在大流行期间的安全至关重要，他们认为利用以色列安全局的能力是对抗疫情的正确方法。反对这些措施的人拒绝使用追踪技术，认为这是迈向独裁和侵犯基本公民权利的一步。一些人提出了替代措施，以避免使用此类跟踪技术。
医疗实践的主要任务是治愈疾病和减轻痛苦。围绕 COVID-19 大流行期间使用数字技术的争论凸显了社会控制与大流行时期医疗保健之间紧密联系的复杂性。这场大流行的背景突出了先进的数字监控技术、医疗保健以及当局和医疗监管机构和专家实施的社会控制之间的相互关联，这引发了公众之间的透明度、信任和不信任问题。当患者数量迅速增加、当局需要应对持续的 COVID-19 大流行、该国进入第二次封锁以及必须说服公众遵守高度限制的规定时，这些问题变得更加重要。向政策制定者提出建议、实际影响以及对未来研究的建议进行了讨论。
