Use of Contact Tracing Application during Covid-19 Pandemic
Use of Contact Tracing Application during Covid-19 Pandemic
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Abstract
The Case study that is analyzed in this paper was recorded on nineteenth day of October 2020 by Robert A. Fahey and Airo Hino of Waseda University, Japan and named it Covid-19, digital privacy and the social limits on data focused public health responses. The case study is on Covid-19 and Privacy and the analysis that is provided has included three ethical approaches; Right ethics, Utilitarian ethics and Deontological ethics in order to critically give opinions on the case study and how the ethical approaches are related to Cybersecurity.
Keywords: Covid-19, Cybersecurity, Ethics.
Introduction
Has digital contact tracing application in the collection of Covid-19 patients data interfered with the privacy of the citizens? In the case study conducted by Robert A. Fahey and Airo Hino the scholars have critically discussed the privacy in Covid-19 information collection and that some of the patients are not compliant because they are not comfortable to share and reveal their private information online. In this study I am going to outline the relationship of Cybersecurity and ethical approaches in Covid-19 and privacy.
Discussion
An individual has a right to privacy; this ethical approach stipulates on the best ethical action that the affected individuals have a right to dignity which is provided by principle of Autonomy that provides an individual with freedom to choose what they want (Savulescu et al., 2020). In the case study it has indicated that the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield was on the forefront to encourage compulsory aggressive use contact tracing application of infected persons as a main step to controlling Covid-19 (Fahey & Hino, 2020). It has further described that in developed countries, contact tracing was highly used where majority of the citizens had access to smart phones which could provide the whereabouts of a person through tracking using the Global Positioning System (GPS) chips. It has further described the idea to turn Citizens smartphones into a contact tracing devices. The scholars have raised a question in the case study Data first or Privacy first? Where data first is collecting the information of each individual and identify all their movements while Privacy first is when citizens are given the ability to control their own data without providing their own movements (Fahey & Hino, 2020). The use of Contact tracing is a digital technology; this method has led to ethical harms when they collide with the ethics and values of the communities as the global increase in deployment of digital technology continues (Aggarwal, 2020). When individuals are coerced to use their smartphones as a contact tracing device without their own consent the public health organization in charge of the process violates their human dignity and it does not protect their choices. I would recommend the use of privacy first instead of data first approach where individuals will have right over their information and they will not be at risk of data leaks which will expose their private life.
Utilitarian approach focuses on the consequences of the outcomes of the decision made, it states that the right action has to be made to produce the greatest good (Savulescu et al., 2020). In the case study it has been stated that major consequence is the challenge faced to convince citizens to install the Covid-19 contact tracing applications given that people are aware that privacy and personal data should be confidential (Fahey & Hino, 2020). The question that arises here is; does compelling citizens to install contact tracing application the best thing and will it protect their privacy? Utilitarian approach argues that laws are made to bring the best consequences (Savulescu et al., 2020). During the Covid-19 pandemic doctors requires rules to apply in order to provide efficient services, the use of Contact tracing application to identify the movements of the infected individuals ids the best decision that will ensure that they are aware where the patient might have gone through in order to provide early medical care to those they have come in contact with since Covid-19 is highly communicable; however this approach should ensure that individual data is highly secured and can only be opened when an infected individual is summoned by a public health practitioner on their whereabouts in recent period, this to trace where there is likelihood of having the corona virus, this approach is recommendable as it focuses on the general positive impact.
The deontological approach which is also referred to as ethics of duties which is based on moral rules and places higher value on duties without consequences consideration (Anshari et al., 2022), that is; the whole idea might not be of good consequences but some of the ideas it entails are good. The use of technological methods to contain Covid-19 pandemic involved the use of this approach where human beings have the capacity to identify the moral right or wrong through reasoning. The use of contact tracing application is a good idea which will assist medical practitioners to identify the person the Covid-19 patient has come across and hence provide instant medical care but at the same time it will risk the personal information and deny the right to privacy of the patient. When focusing on this approach there are risks to data leaks when a person has a contact tracing application but at the same time it is ethical to comply with the law that has been put in place to put in place measures on Covid-19 pandemic and this will put the infected individuals prone to cyber threats since their information can leak anytime, I wouldnt recommend this approach.
Conclusion
Digital technology is Key to alleviating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic globally and law has been set to ensure citizens follow. There are ethical approaches that has different opinions on the method of contact tracing application use in their smartphones as this has denied the right to privacy and endangered the security of the citizens who have complied with the law; however there is a need to comply with the law set aside in order to get a solution on controlling the Covid-19 which is highly communicable and medical practitioners will be able to provide medical care simultaneously.
References
Aggarwal, N. (2020). Introduction to the special issue on intercultural digital ethics.Philosophy & Technology,33(4), 547-550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00428-1
Anshari, M., Hamdan, M., Ahmad, N., Ali, E., & Haidi, H. (2022). COVID-19, artificial intelligence, ethical challenges and policy implications.AI & society, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01471-6
Fahey, R. A., & Hino, A. (2020). COVID-19, digital privacy, and the social limits on data-focused public health responses.International Journal of Information Management,55, 102181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102181Savulescu, J., Persson, I., & Wilkinson, D. (2020). Utilitarianism and the pandemic.Bioethics,34(6), 620-632. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12771
