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

• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand wrote in a blog post how a code under the Privacy Act triggered by a national emergency declaration gives agencies the authority to collect, use or disclose personal information for purposes related to the emergency.
• The Guardian reports the Chinese government’s “health code” technology service, used to monitor individuals’ health status and travel history, is raising data privacy concerns.
• University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor and Privacy Foundation New Zealand Chair Gehan Gunasekara penned an op-ed discussing the need to restore privacy values once COVID-19 is contained.
• The Mainichi reports the Japanese government called on telecoms and technology firms to voluntarily supply their user data toward COVID-19 tracking.
• The Financial Times reports on China's COVID-19 surveillance efforts and tech companies' reluctancy to provide user data.

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