COVID-19 Crisis Tech Response Livefeed

Why does it matter?

With our COVID-19 Crisis Tech Response Livefeed, BIRN keeps you up-to-date on the digital and tech solutions that are being introduced and used during the pandemic. 

While monitoring pandemic-related activities and events in the digital environment, BIRN noticed the increased use of tech solutions that were being offered to people in Central and South-East Europe by states and companies. 

Our monitoring also shows that the public has been the main victims of digital abuses and information warfare, while states, major companies and online platforms neglected their responsibilities to protect people. 

Our goal is to keep revealing wrongdoings, trends and connections that would otherwise remain hidden in order to help civil society organisations and media respond more quickly and efficiently to future crises.

By identifying the digital and tech solutions that are being offered to keep everyday life functioning during the coronavirus pandemic, BIRN aims to map the challenges that people in Central and South-East Europe face, and to explore the usefulness and potential downsides of these solutions. The mapping includes, but is not limited to, state-designed tools, as well as digital and tech solutions being offered by private companies.

How will we do it?

The page lists the spheres of everyday life in which digital and tech solutions have been deployed since the beginning of the pandemic. These solutions are listed according to a series of categories – country, name of the tech solution, short description of the solution, category (for example, business, communication, contact tracing, education, information system, music, public administration, etc), the parties affected by the solution and the name of its developer.

The results of the mapping process are intended to serve as a credible baseline for future analysis of the use of advanced solutions in the targeted region, particularly in a time of crisis.