Contact tracing apps for the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic literature review of challenges and future directions for neo-liberal societies

Abstract

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has spread with increased fatalities around the world and has become an international public health crisis. Public health authorities in many countries have introduced contact tracing apps to track and trace infected persons as part of measures to contain the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2. However, there are major concerns about its efficacy and privacy which affects mass acceptance amongst a population. This systematic literature review encompasses the current challenges facing this technology and recommendations to address such challenges in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in neo-liberal societies. Methods The systematic literature review was conducted by searching databases of Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, PsycInfo and ScienceDirect using the search terms (“Contact Tracing” OR “Contact Tracing apps”) AND (“COVID-19” OR “Coronavirus”) to identify relevant literature. The searches were run against the title, keywords, or abstract, depending on the search platforms. The searches were conducted between January 1, 2020, through 31st January 2021. Further inputs were also taken from preprints, published government and technical reports. We explore and discuss from the selected literature, the key challenges and issues that influence unwillingness to use these contact tracing apps in neo-liberal societies which include the plausibility of abuse of user privacy rights and lack of trust in the government and public health authorities by their citizens. Other challenges identified and discussed include ethical issues, security vulnerabilities, user behaviour and participation, and technical constraints. Results and conclusion Finally, in the analysis of this systematic literature review, recommendations to address these challenges, future directions, and considerations in the use of digital contact tracing apps and related technologies to contain the spread of future pandemic outbreaks are presented. For policy makers in neo-liberal societies, this study provides an in-depth review of issues that must be addressed. We highlight recommendations to improve the willingness to use such digital technologies and could facilitate mass acceptance amongst users.

The worldwide impact of telemedicine during COVID-19: current evidence and recommendations for the future

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health and telemedicine solutions based on smartphone apps (socalled m-health) gained increasing popularity. Apps for digital contact tracings were used to collect and analyze data on people's proximity, location, movement, and health status [13] . When used at scale, particularly when integrating AI-based technologies, these helped contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on population health [13,14] .…”

“…Apps for digital contact tracings were used to collect and analyze data on people’s proximity, location, movement, and health status [ 13 ] . When used at scale, particularly when integrating AI-based technologies, these helped contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on population health [ 13 , 14 ] . Other m-Health applications were used for symptom checking, remote monitoring, and video consultation, and they were also valuable means for health information dissemination and awareness raising in the population.…”

CrowdMed-II: a blockchain-based framework for efficient consent management in health data sharing

“…There is an urgent need to establish a system for sharing and dispersing medical information so that patients can share their health data with their doctors for remote monitoring, and even with the public. In addition, as mentioned in [ 1 ], security vulnerabilities, user data privacy concerns, lack of transparency and other issues will affect the public’s acceptance of such information sharing applications. In order to ensure the public’s acceptance, such a data sharing system needs to ensure the authenticity of the data, that is, the data source is traceable, the transparency of the sharing mechanism, and the security and reliability of the sharing system.…”

What Went Wrong? Predictors of Contact Tracing Adoption in Italy during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Studies have shown that cultural attitudes and social norms towards privacy have influenced the use of these systems to combat the pandemic [14][15][16]. In the case of Immuni, GDPR legal requirements are met by design.…”