Public Health, Technology, and Human Rights: Lessons from Digital Contact Tracing

TL;DR

This paper examines the implementation of digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of legal, ethical, and trust factors across different countries to ensure effective public health outcomes.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of four case studies highlighting key principles for ethically and effectively deploying digital contact tracing tools.

Findings

Alignment with local regulations is crucial for success.

Trust in government influences public acceptance.

Adherence to ethical principles improves system effectiveness.

Abstract

To mitigate inefficiencies in manual contact tracing processes, Digital Contact Tracing and Exposure Notifications Systems were developed for use as public-interest technologies during the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. Effective implementation of these tools requires alignment across several factors, including local regulations and policies and trust in government and public health officials. Careful consideration should also be made to minimize any potential conflicts with existing processes in public health which has demonstrated effectiveness. Four unique cases-of Ireland, Guayaquil, Haiti, and the Philippines-detailed in this paper will highlight the importance of upholding the principles of Scientific Validity, Necessity, Time Boundedness, and Proportionality.