Pakistan will not be able to withstand another major lockdown "Tania Idros"

Tania Idrus, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Digital Pakistan, says that in her opinion, Pakistan may not be able to withstand another major lockdown, "so we have to use smart lockdown."
In an exclusive interview with BBC Urdu on the role of Digital Pakistan in fighting the corona virus, he said that it was clear that the situation is as it is now if you have authentic and 'real time' data. If not, your response may not be effective in limiting this outbreak.
So it was clear that we had to base our strategy on data. The first thing we started was how to collect data from different provinces.
Tania Idros said that in the beginning everyone was working on their own, so the first problem in this regard was how to combine the data of different systems in one place.
"We are no longer asking (the provinces) to train your people on our system. Now we have created a system where even if the provinces collect information from their system, they have remained in one place. In addition, we are adding new features such as the ability to talk to a doctor on the WhatsApp soon.
Asked if Digital Pakistan has introduced any new technology to deal with Corona, Tania Adras said it is not important to bring technology just for the sake of technology.
"Our data systems are broken in every sector in this country. Understanding the importance of data and how it can help you make decisions is central to everything you do. This is not the time to introduce new apps etc. You have to see what our goal is right now. Our goal at the moment is to collect data effectively, and make decisions on it effectively. "
"Data will tell us where the epidemic is going to spread."
Referring to the importance of data in decision making, he said, "Once upon a time we had a big lockdown. Can we have a bigger lockdown again? We don't think so. So it comes down to how we use the data to predict where the epidemic could go, where it is spreading.
"Using this information, smart lockdown can be done so that we can lock down a small space to limit the disease," he said. "The thing is, what problem are you trying to solve?"

Asked what is being recorded in the data, Tania Idros said the most important is central information. "Who is being tested when, what is the patient's phone number, what is the ID card number, age, gender, morbidity (ie other health issues)."
But she says it was not collected from the beginning. "As we begin to understand its importance, they are accumulating. But if you think you're on the front line, you can't ask a lab technician to fill out a 50-yard form. "
Regarding the role of technology in data collection, Tania Idros pointed out three key elements.
The first is that with the help of modern technology, data can be viewed in real time and policy makers can make their decisions from time to time with the help of a single platform.
The second important factor is data security and privacy. "In the beginning, people's lab sheets were circulating on the WhatsApp. It contains people's private information and they are protected by technology.
The third major benefit is a large-scale review. "If you want to review at a national level, you have to put things together," said Tania Idros. The epidemic sees no provincial boundaries. ”That is why, in Tania Idrus's view, a national review is needed to combat it.
But how secure is this data?
"As far as privacy is concerned, personally identifiable information is visible in very limited places. I can give you my example that I sit in the National Command and Operations Center and I have never seen this information.
Who can see this information of citizens?
To this question, Tania Idros said that the authorities can see this data. "There are law enforcement agencies, there are intelligence agencies, they have this authority. But then I will talk about the intention, what is our purpose? At the moment, maybe a little bit of confidence is needed. "
"Our goal is not to see who you have called," says Tania. Our goal is to extract your personal information and see which numbers and who were connected. "
So should Pakistani citizens now assume that the government is tracking their location? Has our government created such a system that now middle level officers in various institutions of the country have the facility to track the location of any citizen?
"Absolutely not," said Tania Idrus. no way! As carefully as this is being done, the fewer people can have access to it, I can personally tell you that this is being done with the same care.
Asked who decides who will have access to this information, Tania Idros said she did not know who decides to grant access.
What will be the role of Digital Pakistan after the Corona crisis?
Tania Idros also sees the crisis as an important opportunity. He said that this crisis has given Pakistan an opportunity to move towards rapid digitization.
"It simply came to our notice then