FILE PHOTO: Contact tracing app TraceTogether, released by the Singapore government to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease is seen on a mobile phone, in Singapore March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A few countries, including South Korea and Israel, are using high-tech methods of contact tracing that involve tracking peoples’ location via phone networks. But such centralized, surveillance-based approaches are viewed as invasive and unacceptable in many countries for privacy reasons. “It requires quite a bit of effort on your side as a user and the value is not very tangible,” said Frederic Giron, a Singapore-based analyst with market research firm Forrester, referring to TraceTogether.
The apps also have limited utility during lockdowns, but could prove much more appealing when people are again in frequent contact. Italian carmaker Ferrari, for example, is rolling out a voluntary contact-tracing app as part of its programme for safely re-opening its factories. Some people in Singapore and India say they are willing to use such an app, even at some cost to their privacy.
Self-quarantine orders in India’s slums have also fanned mistrust among some Muslims who believe health workers are gathering data under the guise of containing the pandemic.The Indian government has been heavily backing the Aarogya Setu app, sending emails to companies including Facebook and Google requesting them to promote the app, an official at Indian’s IT ministry said.