Should the government track people to stop the spread of COVID-19?

With the coronavirus still raging on, some people in the United States have brought up the idea of the government tracking everybody to make sure they are following the rules set in place for bringing the virus to a halt. This mainly is to make sure people follow stay-at-home orders and only go to essential businesses.

In the proposed scenario, the government would track people by having Facebook and Google share data with them to figure out people’s location.

This may seem like a good idea to some, but I say that it is a violation of privacy. I do not trust that the government would use this data in the way that people think they will. They could use this information to find out about people’s personal life.

Think about this: what if someone that you had never met knew where you were at all times? Would that not seem at least a little odd?

Allowing the government to get more involved in people’s lives, even if it is to stop the coronavirus, should concern us all because that brings us another step closer to an authoritarian style of government and taking rights away from American citizens.

Not only should Americans be discouraged by the idea of government tracking, but they should know that it is a violation of the Constitution for the government to do so.

The Fourth Amendment states that, “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, house, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

This is a protection against unlawful searches and seizures, and that is exactly what the government would do with people that have done nothing wrong in this data sharing scenario.

If I were to violate an amendment in the Constitution, I would be thrown in jail quickly, but, for some reason, the government can break the Constitution all they want to if they say it is “for the greater good of the people.”

I understand that people want to make sure everyone is following the orders put in place to stop the coronavirus, but it would simply be unconstitutional and morally wrong for the government to collect unnecessary data about its citizens.