Many countries worldwide, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, implemented digital technologies and AI tools to collect and analyse a vast amount of personal and health-related data to understand and control the virus's rapid spread. Some of this data was later repurposed for non-health-related uses, including for law enforcement purposes. Specifically, health-related data was used both for purposes directly tied to the public health emergency—such as enforcing isolation, lockdowns, and mask mandates—and for broader policing activities, including surveillance, profiling, criminal investigations, and crime prevention.
This empirical study examines the ethical implications of (emergency) health data reuse through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from key sectors in the UK, including law enforcement, public health and epidemiology, digital health, and policymaking. The research explores critical topics related to privacy, accountability, consent, and the boundaries between public health and public security.
By framing the COVID-19 pandemic as a historical case study, the research investigates data repurposing practices during health emergencies and the implications for future pandemic preparedness. The findings also contribute to the development of a normative framework and practical guidelines for ethical cross-sectoral data sharing between the health sector and law enforcement agencies.