The data will be aggregated and anonymized, the official said. The Commission will also delete the info when the pandemic is over. The European Data Protection Supervisor also wants the Commission to “clearly define” the data it wants to collect, maintain transparency and limit access to epidemiologists and other relevant experts.

Separately, the World Health Organization has maintained that any technological assistance in fighting COVID-19 would have to protect human rights and privacy.

While this could alleviate some fears that the tracking would be used as a pretext to surveil EU residents, there are still concerns. No matter how trustworthy the EU may be, it’s unclear just how effectively it might anonymize and secure that data. And while the height of the coronavirus outbreak might be relatively brief, it’s not clear how long the crisis will last. There’s a possibility the tracking could last longer than some would like.

The Alliance will push for governments to adopt high-altitude internet, of course, but it’ll also work on a cooperative environment with common specs and standards. The aim is ultimately to create a single “compelling message” to sell the concept, even if the individual companies end up competing with each other.

This comes roughly 10 months after Loon forged a deal with SoftBank’s HAPSMobile to press for high-altitude broadband.

Whether or not the HAPS Alliance succeed is far from certain. Loon has landed deals to supply internet to underserved people in places like Puerto Rico, Kenya and Peru, and has been venturing beyond its signature balloons to explore internet drones. In many ways, high-altitude internet is already off to a good startIt’s still early days, though, and the Alliance will need to show that there’s a roadmap for its technology, not just a set of well-meaning ideas.