German police use Covid-tracking data to track down witnesses

German police have been criticised for using Covid-tracking data to trace contacts from bars and restaurants as part of an investigation.

The case, stemming from November last year, began after the fatal fall of a man while leaving a restaurant in the western city of Mainz.

Police seeking possible witnesses made use of data from an app known as Luca, which was designed for users to register time spent in restaurants and taverns to track the possible spread of coronavirus.

Luca records the length of time spent at an establishment along with the patron’s full name, address and telephone number – all subject to Germany‘s strict data protection laws.

However the police and local prosecutors in the case in Mainz successfully appealed to the municipal health authorities to gain access to information about 21 people who visited the restaurant at the same time as the man who died.

After an outcry, prosecutors apologised to the people involved and the local data protection authority has opened an inquiry into the affair.

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Police seeking witnesses to the fatal fall of a man leaving a restaurant in Mainz made use of data from an app known as Luca, which was designed for users to register time spent in restaurants. Pictured, police in Munich attending a protest against vaccination mandates

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The Luca app records the length of time spent at an establishment along with the patron’s full name, address and telephone number – all subject to Germany’s strict data protection laws

‘We condemn the abuse of Luca data collected to protect against infections,’ said the company that developed the Luca app, culture4life, in a statement.

It added that it had received frequent requests for its data from the authorities which it routinely rejected.

Konstantin von Notz, a senior politician from the Greens, junior partners in the federal coalition, warned that abuse of the app could undermine public trust.

‘We must not allow faith in digital apps, which are an important tool in the fight against Covid-19, to disappear,’ he told Tuesday’s edition of Handelsblatt business daily.

The case comes days after hundreds of protesters gathered in cities across Germany to demonstrate against the government’s Covid restrictions and looming discussions on mandatory vaccinations.

Demonstrators took to the streets of cities including Berlin, Cologne and Leipzig on Monday evening to protest against Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to toughen restrictions as Germany faces another surge in Covid cases.

Lawmakers in the Bundestag were set to debate whether to follow Austria and make vaccines mandatory for Germans. 

The protests followed a decision by Chancellor Scholz and the 16 state governors on Friday to toughen requirements for entry to restaurants and bars.

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ROSTOCK, GERMANY:  Hundreds of protesters gathered in cities across Germany to demonstrate against the government’s Covid restrictions and looming discussions on mandatory vaccinations

The leaders built on restrictions introduced just after Christmas that limited private gatherings to 10 people and effectively shut nightclubs.

People have already been required for some time to show proof of full vaccination or recovery to enter restaurants and bars — as well as many nonessential shops, theaters and cinemas.

Friday’s decision called for the requirements to be ratcheted up for restaurants and bars. 

Customers will have to show either they have received a booster shot or provide a negative test result on top of proof that they have been vaccinated or recovered. 

Almost 72% of Germans are considered ‘fully vaccinated,’ while 42.3 % have received an additional booster shot. 

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