Do we need a contact tracing app?

Maccari, Leonardo; Cagno, Valeria

doi:10.1016/j.comcom.2020.11.007

Cited by 49 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nevertheless, even lower user rates can have an impact on contact tracing and, consequently, on the ability of the system to control the spread of COVID-19 [ 16 ]. Contrary to those estimates, Maccari and Cagno [ 17 ] argued that Bluetooth-based, privacy-preserving contact tracing apps are of limited benefit due to potentially high false-positive rates and low sensitivity. Similarly, Rowe et al [ 18 ] contended that the French contact tracing app was implemented very quickly without taking into account the available evidence on viral spread.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Perceptions of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in German-Speaking Countries: Comparative Mixed Methods Study

Zimmermann¹,

Fiske²,

Prainsack³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The main German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) have implemented digital contact tracing apps to assist the authorities with COVID-19 containment strategies. Low user rates for these apps can affect contact tracing and, thus, its usefulness in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus. Objective This study aimed to assess the early perceptions of people living in the German-speaking countries and compare them with the frames portrayed in the newspapers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted qualitative interviews with 159 participants of the SolPan project. Of those, 110 participants discussed contact tracing apps and were included in this study. We analyzed articles regarding contact tracing apps from 12 newspapers in the German-speaking countries. Results Study participants perceived and newspaper coverage in all German-speaking countries framed contact tracing apps as governmental surveillance tools and embedded them in a broader context of technological surveillance. Participants identified trust in authorities, respect of individual privacy, voluntariness, and temporary use of contact tracing apps as prerequisites for democratic compatibility. Newspapers commonly referenced the use of such apps in Asian countries, emphasizing the differences in privacy regulation among these countries. Conclusions The uptake of digital contact tracing apps in German-speaking countries may be undermined due to privacy risks that are not compensated by potential benefits and are rooted in a deeper skepticism towards digital tools. When authorities plan to implement new digital tools and practices in the future, they should be very transparent and proactive in communicating their objectives and the role of the technology—and how it differs from other, possibly similar, tools. It is also important to publicly address ethical, legal, and social issues related to such technologies prior to their launch.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Perceptions of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in German-Speaking Countries: Comparative Mixed Methods Study

Zimmermann¹,

Fiske²,

Prainsack³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, people should be prepared to trade-off privacy encroaching contact tracing apps for civil liberty and see it as a public duty to save lives as lockdown is being eased. However, an app encroaching on people’s privacy while providing little contribution, compared to other measures in tackling the spread of COVID-19 would be ethically dubious, especially in neo-liberal societies [ 49 , 50 ]. Privacy concerns related to user data has been of one the significant issue affecting the acceptance and willingness to use contact tracing apps as shown in primary studies [ 37 , 51 – 60 ].…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Akinbi

Forshaw

Blinkhorn

2021

Health Inf Sci Syst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…Almost a year into the pandemic, we have still not seen conclusive evidence that digital contact tracing can play a significant role in containing the pandemic. As a result, several studies have questioned the efficacy and need for digital contact tracing, especially when considering its encroachment on privacy 4–10 . Measuring the effect of digital contact tracing has been notoriously hard, as there is no contacts dataset available from a full scale production system.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Nationwide rollout reveals efficacy of epidemic control through digital contact tracing

Elmokashfi¹,

Sundnes²,

Kvalbein³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fueled by epidemiological studies of SARS-CoV-2, contact tracing by mobile phones has been put to use in many countries. A year into the pandemic, we lack conclusive evidence on its effectiveness. Here, we used a unique real world contact data set, collected during the rollout of the first Norwegian contact tracing app in the Spring of 2020, to address this gap. Our dataset involves millions of contacts between 12.5% of the adult population, and enabled us to measure the real-world app performance. The technological tracing efficacy was measured at 80%, and we estimated that at least 11.0% of the discovered close contacts could not be identified by manual contact tracing. The overall effectiveness of digital tracing depends strongly on app uptake, but significant impact can be achieved for moderate uptake numbers. Used as a supplement to manual tracing and other measures, digital tracing can be instrumental in controlling the pandemic. Our findings can thus help informing public health policies in the coming months.

show abstract

Do we need a contact tracing app?

Cited by 49 publications

References 23 publications

Early Perceptions of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in German-Speaking Countries: Comparative Mixed Methods Study

Early Perceptions of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in German-Speaking Countries: Comparative Mixed Methods Study

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

Nationwide rollout reveals efficacy of epidemic control through digital contact tracing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About