For me, my argument is this: yes the contact tracing apps could infringe on my privacy rights as an individual. But app could be effective in notifying potential exposed individuals. If that individual knows this information, he/she can take the right action to protect him/herself and his/her family. Thus the app protects people's right to live and right to good health. I know people always talk about right to free speech and movement etc, but I believe right to live is another human right, in fact, its the most important human right. Rights to free speech is useless if you are dead. Second, when the virus is not growing exponentially, this contact tracing capability would allows us to quickly stop emerging outbreaks, then we can feel comfortable to stop stay at home orders and open up the economy. Therefore, the app also protects right to movement.
So its a trade off, would you want to trade privacy rights to right to live and right to move? For me, it is yes.
In addition, we know that we can reduce the risk of privacy infringement by designing the system properly, as they are doing it here. We could also use block chain technology to implement the database so that no central authority can know which exact individual has been to where. The database could also not store personally identifiable information. We could use cryptographic computing techniques so that no one, not even the software engineers working the project can know which person has been to where.
I know people are scared about the potential privacy infringement here. But if we don't try to come up with effective ways to stop the spread of the virus, there are people dying due to getting sick. And there are families who could not feed themselves because we shut down the economy.
So its a trade off, would you want to trade privacy rights to right to live and right to move? For me, it is yes.
In addition, we know that we can reduce the risk of privacy infringement by designing the system properly, as they are doing it here. We could also use block chain technology to implement the database so that no central authority can know which exact individual has been to where. The database could also not store personally identifiable information. We could use cryptographic computing techniques so that no one, not even the software engineers working the project can know which person has been to where.
I know people are scared about the potential privacy infringement here. But if we don't try to come up with effective ways to stop the spread of the virus, there are people dying due to getting sick. And there are families who could not feed themselves because we shut down the economy.