Good morning, 

"Contact Tracing" is coming to Texas. We look at what we know so far in today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens

Monday, June 1, 2020
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• It’s been two weeks since it was revealed that Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of State Health Services had entered into a contract to bring contact tracing to Texas. Questions rae growing over what contact tracing exactly entails, how the agreement was reached, and details about the company put in charge of administering the program.
   

• Here's what we know so far...

What is contact tracing?

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contact tracing is “a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department personnel for decades … a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19."

• As part of their professional duties, contact tracers are supposed to follow up with individuals testing positive for the virus and determine who they may have come into contact with while infectious. They then identify those who may have come into contact with the virus and urge (or force) them to get tested or exercise some form of social isolation with the stated goal of preventing the spread of the virus.

• In order to aid in the process of identifying who has come into contact with infected individuals, technology giants Apple and Google have rushed to “enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.”

• While the tech giants say user privacy is central to the design, the reality is far more concerning. In short, Apple and Google can force your smartphone to emit a signal to nearby phones and vice versa. Those devices could then maintain logs of who you’ve come in contact with, how long you spent with them, and if you met up with someone next. Those logs could then be turned over to law enforcement.

• Such technological solutions have been strictly implemented in other countries, such as South Korea, creating a plethora of questions United States lawmakers have yet to answer. Questions like: Who controls that data? How much can they control? How can they use it?

The $295 million contract

• Contact tracing first appeared on many Texans’ radars earlier this month when it was reported that the Texas Department of State Health Services would be entering a $295 million, 27-month deal with MTX Group, a firm based in Albany, New York, that recently set up shop in Frisco.

• The agreement calls for hiring 4,500 call center agents over seven months, though MTX says it can source “well beyond 5,000 agents if required.”

• While the contract stipulates that MTX Group must use E-Verify to determine citizenship of those it employs, Texas residents are “preferred” but not required in the job qualifications for those making the phone calls. 

• A partially-redacted copy of the contract has been obtained by Texas Scorecard and is available to view here.

What is the MTX Group?

• More than a dozen states have already signed contracts with MTX Group, but Texas will be among the first states to actually receive their contact tracing services.

• A tech company first and foremost, the group’s website has little in the way of actual information concerning the history of the company, though recent press releases have described the firm as “a global implementation partner powered by the Maverick Artificial Intelligence platform that enables enterprises to become fit-enterprise by migrating to cloud technologies.”

• How the group managed to obtain a nearly $300 million contract for such a large-scale program in Texas is, at this time, somewhat of a mystery. Lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, say they were never consulted on the process.

• Texas Scorecard has submitted an open records request to DSHS for any Requests For Proposals sent out in regards to contact tracing, but has not yet received a response.

• Reportedly some large companies—such as IBM and Accenture—sent bids for the project, but were unsuccesful.

• Additionally, it came out this weekend that MTX Group CEO Das Nobel may have "falsified", as the Houston Chronicle put it, his Doctorate degree on his Linked In profile, helping fuel the fire over questions about the company. 

What can citizens do?

• A number of lawmakers have criticized the agreement based on a concern over privacy and data management, while others have expressed frustration that such a large contract was signed without legislators being made aware.
   
• In a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott last week, State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) warned that the program could permanently stain the governor's legacy. 
   

• Concerned citizens are encouraged to make their voices known to their state lawmakers, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott.

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