COVID-19 App Regulations Too Restrictive? A MyLog Story

-Writer: 邱如韻 Diana Chiu
-Editor: Ethan Wu

In 2020, I was a 19 year old undergraduate studying social science and applying for internships. I was not familiar with the tech industry as terms like “data science” and “technology systems” just seemed like a bunch of math and concepts unrelated to my major. My perception of data science changed when I acquired my marketing internship at Numbers, a Taiwanese Software Startup, supporting the publishing of the MyLog application.

For those of you unfamiliar with the MyLog, it is a medical application that was born out of the “台美防疫松 #Cohack” event created to help address COVID-19. Co-developed with members of MyData Taiwan, Numbers and Taiwanese medical professions, MyLog records users personal health information with the added benefit of being able to store their data on the blockchain. This provides users with complete control of their own data. Data can be shared at the users permission with medical professionals and government officials to assist in the prevention of COVID-19. MyLog provides an additional incentive by providing coupons to users who actively record their health information.

MyLog’s potential is recognized as the application earned a reward for its practical benefit and innovation. Despite MyLog’s success and continued development, the application still has some obstacles to overcome. To understand this issue further lets interview members of the MyLog team (Product Manager — Sherry & Developer — Dayuan).

Diana: “What is the current status of MyLog”

Sherry: “Right now the application is still in the beta phase. We have made a lot of progress, however we have run into some app publication obstacles.”

Diana: “App publication obstacles?”

Sherry: “Yes, because of the COVID-19, medical app reviews have become stricter. If your app isn’t developed by the government or medical units then it will get rejected.”

Diana: “Wow, that is quite strict. So you have not been able to publish on Google Play or Apple App Store?”

Sherry: “Actually, we were able to publish on Google Play. I believe the reason for this is because Google positions itself to be more accessible so developers can more easily publish their apps on the Google platform. Apple on the other hand positions itself as more high quality so the app reviews can be more rigorous and strict.

Diana: “I see, that makes sense. But it feels wrong to block potentially beneficial applications because of these reasons especially during these uncertain times.”

Sherry: “I agree. I think it’s unfortunate that MyLog is being blocked, however there are advantages to having increased COVID-19 regulations. The main ones being protecting personal information, ensuring the right COVID-19 info is being provided, and ensuring developers put out quality apps.”

Diana: “Interesting. What do you think are the disadvantages?”

Sherry: “Well I think the main one is blocking a potentially beneficial app. MyLog passes pharmacy associate professor reviews but doesn’t meet Apple’s standards. Getting approval from medical units or universities in Taiwan is difficult to achieve. So the question becomes how does Apple, a technology company, make decisions on these restrictions?

Dayuan: “I think it is ok to have strict regulations however the feedback needs to be clearer. If our app gets rejected, they should communicate what areas need to be addressed in order to pass. Without proper feedback we are basically working with a black box.”

COVID-19 puts our world in unprecedented times and technology can play a key role. MyLog is a nonprofit medical application that can be beneficial to society however restrictions have prevented the public from accessing it. It is unclear what it will take to be approved. Small teams, such as our team at MyData Taiwan and Numbers, want to contribute with our app but our efforts are blocked by big tech companies without a clear path forward. The spirit of development is innovation can come from anywhere (big company or small company). When regulations are so restrictive that even after due diligence apps still get denied without any direction, the developer spirit is being quashed.