As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, here are the latest stories on how the outbreak has affected privacy in the Asia-Pacific region:

• New Zealand Privacy Commissioner John Edwards expressed reservations regarding the CovidCard proposal, saying any contact-tracing technology “will involve significant privacy implications.”
• A software engineer found a mobile app used to enforce quarantine in South Korea exposed personal details of people, including names, real-time locations and other details, The New York Times reports.
• Reuters reports Japan's COVID-19 contact-tracing app garnered 7.7 million downloads.
• Also from Reuters, the rollout of contact-tracing apps to limit COVID-19 spread could either halt progress toward privacy laws or have the opposite effect in raising awareness of data privacy, analysts say.
• Privacy concerns have been raised regarding Australian's personal data potentially being compromised by businesses with their mandated record-keeping, 9News reports.
• The Future of Privacy Forum and BrightHive have released the “Responsible Data Use Playbook for Digital Contact Tracing,” with recommendations to set up a digital contact-tracing initiative while addressing privacy concerns ethically and responsibly.

Editor's note: The IAPP Resource Center compiled global privacy updates on its COVID-19 Guidance and Resources page.