Human Rights Commission: "Directive to Install 'Google Maps App' for Continuous Location Tracking of Full-time Reserve Forces Constitutes Human Rights Violation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that using a separate app instead of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's app to track the location of military personnel, even for COVID-19 prevention purposes, constitutes a violation of human rights.

On the 29th, the Human Rights Commission found that a Marine Corps unit had required active reservists to install the Google Maps app and continuously record their location via the Global Positioning System (GPS) to track their movements. The commission determined this infringed on privacy and freedom and recommended that the division commander implement measures to prevent recurrence.

The complainant, an active reservist in the Marine Corps, filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission stating that the company commander ordered active reservists in January this year to install the Google Maps app instead of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 'Self-Quarantine Safety Protection App' distributed for COVID-19 prevention. Furthermore, they were instructed to keep GPS continuously enabled even after work hours to monitor their location.

In response, Captain A, the respondent, claimed, "From December last year to January this year, active reservists under my command submitted false reports related to COVID-19 testing. Confirming the movements of active reservists was an unavoidable measure to prevent COVID-19 within the unit," and asserted that consent was obtained regarding the installation of the Google Maps app.

However, the Human Rights Commission noted that the Google Maps app allows access not only to the current location of the phone holder but also to information about where and when they had been in the past, posing a significant risk of violating personal data autonomy and privacy. Considering the hierarchical relationship between the complainant and respondent, the commission judged that it was practically difficult to refuse the order.

The commission particularly pointed out that Captain A's directive violated guidelines from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which state that health monitoring should be limited in duration and scope, and that personal surveillance, contact tracing, and movement tracking must be strictly regulated. Moreover, despite superior unit instructions to use the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 'Self-Quarantine Safety Protection App,' ordering the installation of the Google Maps app contravened the principle of minimal infringement and the prohibition of excessive measures.

However, since Captain A did not actually check the GPS records of the complainant and the measure originated from false reports by unit personnel, the commission recommended that the unit commander issue a warning to Captain A and advised the Marine Corps division commander, the superior unit, to disseminate this case and conduct relevant job training.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.