åThe COVID19 situation is not just a phase we are waiting out; it is an all-out war, a real matter of life and death. Makes one wonder why establishments that can help flatten the curve are not doing nearly enough. It is okay to give freebies to customers, end-users and donate to the government. Still, I am confident that donors like the telecom companies can do more for the government by using technology to support the #Covid19 war.
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Here are some ways they can help by Seyi Olufade, a technology and innovation entrepreneur
1. Using data from their BTSs, telecoms can map mobile phone clusters and mobility of users. Not a theory, it can be done.
2. Given “1” above, if a potential case’s phone number is known(which is often the case), telcos can geolocate the user and triangulate potential contacts.
3. Data from “1 and 2” above can be given to the government and the NCDC for better decision-making towards combating the pandemic.
4. “1 and 2” above can also help with predictive algorithms for the deployment of Law Enforcement agents. For example, the pictures that went viral of residents exercising on the Gbagada highway in Lagos. Most had mobile phones, and the Federal Government can (through the service providers) send nudge messages to them to take precautions even as they exercise.
5. There may be privacy concerns with the above propositions, but the SMEs and lawyers can figure this out vis-a-vis NCC regulations and the Constitution of the FRN. NOTE however that none of the above includes infringing user privacy. It is merely using location data (which most telcos and security services often already have) to fight this war. This is of course, debatable.
6. Some professional colleagues have asked me questions like “does Nigeria have the infrastructure and framework to implement this without abuse? “, “How about the opposition”, what about subscriber privacy.” etc. My response to them has been this; these times require trying unusual things. Let’s test the limits of Nigeria’s big data and AI prowess, even if it will entail government invoking emergency powers in some sectors, politics aside.
I empathize with the fact that telecoms are in business and should, therefore, protect their bottom line. However, in this time of war, every single establishment must come to the table with it’s A-game to ensure that humanity wins this war. We will surely overcome.
