During the pandemic, governments have raced to develop digital solutions like contact tracing apps https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📱" title="Mobile phone" aria-label="Emoji: Mobile phone">to stop the spread of the virus.

But are these new technologies really the key to tackling the crisis? And what do they mean for digital rights?

THREAD https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id"> #COVID19

A joint letter https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📝" title="Memo" aria-label="Emoji: Memo"> signed by nearly 300 experts around the world argues that people won’t use a contact tracing app they don’t trust.

To be effective, apps must not collect data that could be used to enable surveillance https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👁️" title="Eye" aria-label="Emoji: Eye">:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/20/coronavirus-digital-contact-tracing-will-fail-unless-privacy-is-respected-experts-warn

https://www.theguardian.com/world/202... href="https://twtext.com//hashtag/GoodID"> #GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id"> #COVID19

Digital contact tracing will fail unless privacy is respected, experts warn

Letter suggests citizens will reject any centralised app launched to prevent coronavirus that harvests superfluous data

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/20/coronavirus-digital-contact-tracing-will-fail-unless-privacy-is-respected-experts-warn

Contact tracing apps could be rolled out in the EU https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇪🇺" title="Flag of European Union" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of European Union"> and Australia https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇦🇺" title="Flag of Australia" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of Australia"> within weeks.

This article looks at the technology behind the apps and how developers have been warned to adhere to privacy laws:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52325352

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tech... href="https://twtext.com//hashtag/GoodID"> #GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id">

Virus tracing apps 'ready in weeks' in EU and Australia

Italy, Germany, Denmark and Australia all announce progress on their tracing apps.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52325352

Lawyers https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👩🏽‍⚖️" title="Woman judge (medium skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Woman judge (medium skin tone)"> & academics https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧑‍🏫" title="Teacher" aria-label="Emoji: Teacher"> have written a draft bill which proposes essential safeguards for contact tracing apps.

The bill states that in order to maximize use of the apps, people’s data must be protected https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛡️" title="Shield" aria-label="Emoji: Shield">:

https://osf.io/preprints/lawarxiv/yc6xu/">https://osf.io/preprints...

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id">

In this article, @billatnapier argues that, when it comes to handling their personal data, people don’t trust:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏛️" title="Classical building" aria-label="Emoji: Classical building">Governments
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💼" title="Briefcase" aria-label="Emoji: Briefcase">Private sector
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👮" title="Police officer" aria-label="Emoji: Police officer">Law enforcement

So only healthcare providers should be involved with contact tracing apps:

https://medium.com/asecuritysite-when-bob-met-alice/the-flawed-world-of-contact-tracing-wheres-carol-the-tester-3939ac92488a">https://medium.com/asecurity...

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id">

This article lists the flaws in contact tracing apps when they are used in the real world https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌎" title="Earth globe americas" aria-label="Emoji: Earth globe americas"> rather than theoretical settings.

It calls them a “techno-magic” https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧙" title="Mage" aria-label="Emoji: Mage">solution we can’t rely on to solve the crisis:

https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2020/04/12/contact-tracing-in-the-real-world/">https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2020/04/1...

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id">

Apple and Google’s contact tracing app is useless for the billions of people around the world who don’t own a smartphone https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📱" title="Mobile phone" aria-label="Emoji: Mobile phone">

In regions where digital connectivity is less common, the initiative is likely to be ineffective:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/20/tech/contact-tracing-smartphones-apple-google/index.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/2... href="https://twtext.com//hashtag/GoodID"> #GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id"> #COVID19

Apple and Google's contact tracing initiative would omit billions who don't have smartphones

Apple and Google may have set aside their smartphone rivalry to help track the spread of the coronavirus. And between their Android and iOS operating systems, the new contact tracing technology they...

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/20/tech/contact-tracing-smartphones-apple-google/index.html

80% of smartphone https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📱" title="Mobile phone" aria-label="Emoji: Mobile phone">users in the UK would need to use a contact tracing app for it to be effective, NHS advisers have said.

It’s an ambitious target https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎯" title="Direct hit" aria-label="Emoji: Direct hit"> but even a smaller uptake could help slow the spread of the virus:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52294896">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tech...

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id"> #COVID19

A global initiative of 60+ tech firms are racing to develop a digital certificate of immunity.

These immunity passports https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛂" title="Passport control" aria-label="Emoji: Passport control"> would be completely voluntary & user controlled, avoiding the risk of excessive monitoring or surveillance:

https://www.coindesk.com/covid-19-immunity-passport-unites-60-firms-on-self-sovereign-id-project">https://www.coindesk.com/covid-19-...

#GoodIDhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👍" title="Thumbs up" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs up">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🆔" title="Squared id" aria-label="Emoji: Squared id">

That’s all for this thread - let us know if you’ve seen anything we’ve left out https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📣" title="Cheering megaphone" aria-label="Emoji: Cheering megaphone">