22. April 2020

ICT4Peace is pleased to publish a paper by  Beatriz Botero Arcila on

A Human Centric Framework to Evaluate the Risks Raised by Contact-Tracing Applications

Digital technologies, data-gathering and analytics are becoming central in the strategies adopted by governments all over the world, as they address many of the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Contact-tracing applications, in particular, promise to help contain the spread of the virus and allow societies to slowly relax physical distancing measures. However, digital solutions can pose a variety of risks to the security of individuals, and the enjoyment of human rights.This paper proposes a framework to analyse, how technical design and governance interplay in contact-tracing applications and how these decisions balance the safety needs of individuals and society at large.

The document focuses on the two most prominent models at the time of writing, the Google-Apple protocol, anounced on April 10, 2020, and the Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing protocol (DP3T), proposed by a group of technologists, legal experts, engineers and epidemiologists. It also focuses on the EU toolbox for the use of mobile applications for contact tracing.

The paper evaluates the two above mentioned protocols, and what is known about their governance and design at the time of writing.

  • The paper briefly explains contact tracing apps and the main design questions that have been set forth by both the European Commission framework and the Google and Apple partnership.
  • Second, it maps the main risks posed by these applications in terms of data stewardship, network security and the enjoyment of human rights.
  • Third, based on a map of risks developed, the paper proposes a series of measures, that governments should have in mind, when (1) adopting urgent institutional mechanisms – such as rules and privacy policies – to mitigate some of the risks posed by these technologies, (2) making design decisions about these applications, (3) and disclosing when and how these applications will be dismantled.

In addition the paper discusses inequality and discrimination risks when applying contact tracing technologies and the possible impact and risks for the Global South.

Beatriz Botero: “Contact-tracing applications could be effective as a means to help contain the pandemic when the time is right to ease some lockdown measures, and to contain subsequent outbreaks. Their deployment should also help governments slowly re-open local economies and be more effective at directing other efforts – like health-care attention or testing – to those who might be at higher risk. It is of the utmost importance, however, that as these applications – with the safeguards we have considered and reviewed here – are rolled out, that they are accompanied by measures that make testing accessible and build safety nets for vulnerable and underserved populations who are at higher risk. They will not, however, replace them.”

ICT4Peace Foundation, Geneva, 22 April 2020