Contact Tracing Apps
Since the start of the pandemic, governments and stakeholders involved in the fight against the virus have been relying on data analytics and digital technologies to address this novel threat.
Mobile applications are now seen by many as a complementary response to the need to rapidly perform contact monitoring. Indeed, mobile solutions that enable the automatic detection of contacts would save precious hours of work of public health staff tracing the chain of infection, and could do so with rapidity that matches the speed of the virus.
However, while technological tools can play an important role in addressing the current challenge, we have to ask ourselves an essential question before systematic and uncritical adoption of technology : are those “Apps” the solution?
Joint Statement on Digital Contact Tracing by Alessandra Pierucci, Chair of the Committee of Convention 108 and Jean-Philippe Walter, Data Protection Commissioner of the Council of Europe
"One month after our first Joint Declaration on the right to data protection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries and peoples around the world continue to relentlessly invest all efforts in preventing further propagation of the virus." ... READ MORE
Resources
- European Data Protection Boards (EDPB): Guidelines 04/2020 on the use of location data and contact tracing tools in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): Tech answers to COVID-19 should also safeguard fundamental rights
- World Health Organization (WHO): Ethical considerations to guide the use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19 contact tracing
