Tracing app technology: An ethical review in the COVID-19 era and directions for post-COVID-19
Saleh Afroogh, Amir Esmalian, Ali Mostafavi, Ali Akbari, Kambiz, Rasoulkhani, Shahriar Esmaeili, Ehsan Hajiramezanali

TL;DR
This paper reviews the ethical issues of contact tracing apps used during COVID-19, identifies key considerations, and suggests guidelines for ethical use in the post-pandemic era.
Contribution
It provides a systematic analysis of ethical frameworks and proposes directions for responsible implementation of tracing apps after COVID-19.
Findings
Seven key ethical considerations identified: privacy, security, acceptability, surveillance, transparency, justice, voluntariness.
Highlights need for integrated guidelines for ethical app deployment post-COVID-19.
Discusses how ethical concerns can be addressed in future contact tracing technologies.
Abstract
We conducted a systematic literature review on the ethical considerations of the use of contact tracing app technology, which was extensively implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid and extensive use of this technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, while benefiting the public well-being by providing information about people's mobility and movements to control the spread of the virus, raised several ethical concerns for the post-COVID-19 era. To investigate these concerns for the post-pandemic situation and provide direction for future events, we analyzed the current ethical frameworks, research, and case studies about the ethical usage of tracing app technology. The results suggest there are seven essential ethical considerations, namely privacy, security, acceptability, government surveillance, transparency, justice, and voluntariness in the ethical use of contact tracing…
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Taxonomy
TopicsCOVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection · Privacy-Preserving Technologies in Data
