Tracing app technology: An ethical review in the COVID-19 era and directions for post-COVID-19

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 technology. In this paper, we explain and discuss these considerations and how they are needed for the ethical usage of this technology. The findings also highlight the importance of developing integrated guidelines and frameworks for implementation of such technology in the post-COVID-19 world.