tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
. 2020 Nov 3.
doi: 10.2196/23194. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Technologic Tower of Babel and the gap for international pandemic control
Li Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vera L?cia Carapeto Raposo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Meng Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
As the world struggles with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, contact tracing apps of various types have been adopted in many jurisdictions for combating the spread of the virus. However, even if successful in containing the virus within national borders, these apps are becoming ineffective as international travel is gradually resumed. The problem rests in the plurality of apps and their inability to operate in a synchronized manner, as well as the absence of an international entity with the power to coordinate and analyze the information collected by the disparate apps. The risk of creating a useless Tower of Babel of COVID-19 contact tracing apps is very real, endangering global health. This paper analyzes legal barriers for realizing the interoperability of contact tracing apps and emphasizes the need developing coordinated solutions to promote safe international traveling and global pandemic control.
. 2020 Nov 3.
doi: 10.2196/23194. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Technologic Tower of Babel and the gap for international pandemic control
Li Du[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vera L?cia Carapeto Raposo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Meng Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33156804
- DOI: 10.2196/23194
Abstract
As the world struggles with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, contact tracing apps of various types have been adopted in many jurisdictions for combating the spread of the virus. However, even if successful in containing the virus within national borders, these apps are becoming ineffective as international travel is gradually resumed. The problem rests in the plurality of apps and their inability to operate in a synchronized manner, as well as the absence of an international entity with the power to coordinate and analyze the information collected by the disparate apps. The risk of creating a useless Tower of Babel of COVID-19 contact tracing apps is very real, endangering global health. This paper analyzes legal barriers for realizing the interoperability of contact tracing apps and emphasizes the need developing coordinated solutions to promote safe international traveling and global pandemic control.