The Pandemic Big Brother global map tracking state use of digital technologies during the coronavirus pandemic. Screenshot of the Pandemic Big Brother website. From genome sequencing to track virus mutations to smartphone apps monitoring close contacts with those who test positive, countries around the world have harnessed technological solutions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But digital rights activists fear that digital surveillance has become so normalized during the pandemic that it may be hard to roll these measures back once it's over, especially in countries where digital freedoms are already under threat. Pandemic Big Brother, a joint initiative of Russian digital rights organization Roskomsvoboda and Belarusian human rights center Human Constanta, has been tracking global COVID-19-related “restrictions of civil rights that are realised with digital technologies.” The initiative ranks countries around the world on how restrictive and overbearing their tech-enabled pandemic measures are and, more importantly, whether they are lifted once the public health situations improves. As the founders note, We consider that compliance with digital rights is crucial for respecting the right to privacy, private and family life, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and other human rights regardless of the scope of the emergency. Global Voices and Runet Echo took a look at the Pandemic Big Brother interactive map and the initiative's latest summary report, “COVID-1984: Surveillance in a pandemic year,” to see how countries in our region have used digital means to intervene in people's pandemic lives. The project tracks media and official reports of restrictions of civil and digital rights across several key areas: The recent Pandemic Big Brother report focused on a few key surveillance technologies: the creation and use of mobile apps to track or restrict citizens’ movements and monitor close contacts, the deployment of CCTV (close-circuit video cameras) and face recognition technologies; and the use of various location-based and geotagging tools. Digital rights activists warn that “the ability to access information about the geolocation of mobile devices can be a threat to privacy, freedom of movement, choice of residence and freedom of assembly, and can undermine public trust in authorities.” Measures deployed: drone control, limited access to official information, mobile phone surveillance, freedom of speech violations, surveillance using state-made apps, legal prosecution, video monitoring and facial recognition. The first lockdowns were introduced in Moscow and Moscow region at the end of March 2020. Since then, the project recorded a number of ways Russia has used technology to control and police its citizens during the pandemic. As cities across Russia went in and out of lockdown, reports of government-mandated quarantine surveillance apps and other mobile phone-based tools, such as public transport QR-code passes, dominated media coverage. Since the start of the pandemic, the Russian authorities have launched four different apps, which are used to issue digital passes, monitor people under quarantine and track contacts with those infected with coronavirus. Another dominant technology that gained widespread attention was the automated facial recognition system deployed across the CCTV networks in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other major cities in Russia. There were also reports of drones and tracker bracelets deployed by local authorities to monitor self-isolating citizens. According to the report, since the start of the pandemic, “over 1.1 million people were prosecuted in Russia under the administrative code for violating coronavirus restrictions.” Aside from surveillance tech, Russian authorities also policed online speech, dispensing fines for alleged COVID-19 fakes posted on social media and threatening journalists and medical workers for disclosing or questioning COVID-19 statistics released by the state. Vaccination is now well underway in the country, and the Kremlin has announced the development of a new mobile surveillance app to track vaccinated citizens’ health. Measures deployed: limited access to official information, freedom of speech violations, legal prosecution, and other measures. Though Belarus has been less tech-savvy in terms of restricting citizens’ movements or tracking their location and close contacts, the authorities have nonetheless cracked down on online spaces. This coincided with the ongoing anti-government protests in the country, giving law enforcement an additional pretext for restricting free expression, cracking down on street rallies, and policing social media.