The National Assembly of Armenia voted to pass in the first reading the draft legislative proposing amendments and supplements to the RA Law on the state of emergency regime and the RA Law on electronic communication. The draft bill was approved by 57 in favor, 24 against and 1 abstained votes.

According to the legislative initiative, during the emergency situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government is enabled to intervene with the rights of the citizens to data protection, privacy, the inviolability of personal and family life as well as freedom of communication.

According to it, the government will be using citizens’ cell phone location data to legally track and monitor their mobile phone information, including the time, duration of incoming and receiving calls. The measures are to be taken in order to find people that the person with the virus has come in contact with so they can enforce quarantine controls and monitor their movement.

The Head of the ruling fraction at parliament Lilit Makunts clarified that interference into the freedom of communication and privacy does not envisage access to the content of the phone conversation and messages. Makunts added that for the second reading the fraction will propose suggestions to the process of elimination of the collected information and development of control tools over the procedure.