Contact tracing apps and personal privacy may seem irreconcilable at first sight in terms of personal liberty. The right to privacy and the right to an undisturbed life are firmly-entrenched values in our society. But are they really non-negotiable when we could trigger a spike without being aware we are a carrier? Which becomes the greater concern at that moment?
Two Ways for Reconciling Contact Tracing Apps and Personal Privacy
Various countries are developing apps to alert people they are in danger of contracting the virus causing Covid-19. These systems use Bluetooth proximity between phones, to alert users they are near a person who tested positive for the virus. However, at that point opinions divide how to reconcile these contact tracing apps with personal privacy.
Centrists, including government agencies want to hold the anonymized information on remote servers where the data matches occur. Independent-minded de-centralists on the other hand, want to hold the data on their phones. They want smart technology to make the coronavirus matches there, and share them directly with affected people.
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Supporters of decentralized data including Apple, Google and an international syndicate say their methods enhance user privacy. Moreover, their users’ social contacts and movements remain confidential away from curious eyes.
Those opposing that position argue centralized big data will help governments trace the spread as it happens, and moreover confirm the app is working correctly. However, the debate is still largely academic at this stage because there are no proven commercial applications. Moreover Apple could kick the ball into touch, unless it agrees to open up its bluetooth access.
Apple has said it will only do this for apps following the decentralized approach according to BBC. This opens up a second debate regarding contact tracing apps and personal privacy. Are we committed to stopping the pandemic, or should individual human freedom still reign supreme?
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Preview Image: Digital Contact Tracing
