COVID-19 Tracing Apps: Are they secure enough to protect the right of privacy?

• Date: 01 September 2020
• Author: Albuquerque, Carolina

September 1, 2020By Carolina Albuquerque

It is almost impossible to know somebody who does not have a smartphone they use for almost every purpose: to send e-mails, to search for a new apartment or to navigate using the map features. The technology seems limitless. If a new problem arrives, technology can present an answer or an effective resolution.

For this reason, the uncertainty created by the coronavirus has led governments to find new technological ways to try to control the spread of the disease. As a result, smartphone apps were created to help track people's movement and consequently help the government to manage this new catastrophic and unpredictable situation.

As an example of this, Alberta's government launched in May the ABTraceTogether app to improve contact tracing. As explained by the government, the app uses a phone's Bluetooth to log anytime it comes within two metres of another person with the app for more than 15 minutes. Also, more recently at the end of July, the federal government launched the COVID Alert app. First launched in Ontario, the app alerts Canadians when they have contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Although it is undeniable that smartphones have revolutionized the way that people behave in this decade, it is also evident that all of this technology raises another relevant issue. The uncertainty about privacy and protection of personal information seems to be an immediate consequence of the increased use of technology. Concerns about the safety of the information stored can hinder people from downloading these new apps.

How do these new apps work?

Both apps mentioned above...