"COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: 8 Privacy Questions Governments Should Ask"
Governments, research institutions, and industry are developing contact tracing apps in efforts to slow down the spread of coronavirus. A contact tracing app records when its users have shared the same space. If one of the users is then diagnosed with COVID-19, other users that were in the area as them would be alerted. Contact tracing apps require the collection of sensitive information, including location data, Bluetooth-enabled proximity information, and whether an individual has tested positive for the coronavirus. Dr. Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye at Imperial College London released a new white people in which he outlines eight questions that governments, citizens, and app developers should consider regarding the privacy of COVID-19 contact tracing apps. These questions touch on the limitation of personal data gathered by app developers, protecting the anonymity of users, the potential exploitation of the app by external parties to expose the infected users' identities, and more. This article continues to discuss the concept of contact tracing apps, the collection of sensitive information by such apps, the questions created to help evaluate the privacy of these apps, as well as the importance of keeping confidentiality in mind as contact tracing apps are developed and adopted around the world.