The Real Intent of Contact Tracing

Here is a video from the May 30, 2020 Minnesota state press conference where John Harrington, Commissioner of Minnesota's Department of Public Safety, clearly outlines how Minnesota's government is dealing with the individuals that are taking part in Main Street America's reaction to the killing of George Floyd (starting at the 26 minute 10 second mark):

If you go to the 43 minute 10 second mark, you will hear this question asked about the protestors who are, according to Governor Tim Walz, agitators from outside the state:

"Who are these people and what's happening right now in terms of you going after them?"

Here is the response from John Harrington (43 minute 22 second mark):

"As we've begun making arrests we have begun analyzing the data of who we've arrested and begun actually doing what you would think as almost very similar to our COVID.  It's contact tracing of who are they associated with.  What platforms are they advocating for?  And we have seen things like  White Supremicist organizers who have posted things on platforms about coming to Minnesota.  We are checking to see do the folks that we have made arrests on and that we have information are they connected to those platforms?  We have seen flyers about protests where folks have talked about they're going to get their loot on tonight and we're checking to see are they part of an organized criminal organization and, if so, what is that organization and how are they organized?  We have been working with both our state, our county, our local and our federal partners to start looking at issues around is this organized crime?  Is this an organized cell of terror?". (my bold)

COVID-19 contact tracing was never about the coronavirus.  Minnesota law enforcement and the state's governments are proving to all of us what the real intent of electronic contact tracing is about.  But then, you already suspected that, didn't you?  Kind of gives you a reason to wonder if you should really install that government-recommended, voluntary contact tracing app on your smart phone, doesn't it?

Addendum

In light of the comment made regarding the use of contact tracing as the epidemiologist's main tool, I would like to add the following statement from Amnesty International regarding states' use of digital surveillance technologies to fight the pandemic and the potential lack of respect for human rights:

Sadly, the lessons of the post-September 11th world have taught us that, once governments avail themselves of our most personal information, the gathering of that information never reverses itself when the "panic" ends.

I still maintain my thesis; contact tracing in the COVID-19 era is far, far different than what epidemiologists have traditionally used as their tool for tracking disease.