COVID contact tracing apps are not a privacy concern. Change my mind.
This post looks at the privacy implications of contact tracing apps. Specifically those that implement so-called ‘privacy-preserving contact tracing’.
I will put forward the case that such contact-tracing apps can be implemented without any loss of privacy, but let me be clear: this is not a call for complacency. It is a call for an end to unfounded opposition to a potentially life-saving technology.
What do these apps do?
There is, and probably always will be, a shortage of COVID-19 tests. So between now and when we are all vaccinated (late 2021?) we will face the constant quandary of who gets tested and who doesn’t. As I’m sure you know, contact tracing is the process of finding and testing those people who are most likely to be infected, thus making the most of the limited tests we have.
Contact tracing apps are nothing more than an attempt to scale this up using technology. They’re not a panacea; they’re one small piece of the virus-fighting puzzle, but they’re unique in that anyone with a phone can — potentially — contribute.
The question is, can you be a part of the contact tracing effort without giving up your civil liberties?
