New article: What's next for Covid-19 apps?

Due to a number of uncertainties – general awareness of digital contact tracing apps, privacy risks, effectiveness of Covid-19 apps, and public attitudes toward a potentially pervasive form of digital surveillance – most digital contact tracing apps have not yet had the expected rate of uptake. This makes assessing their effectiveness difficult whilst simultaneously, until their effectiveness is proven, its widespread use at a population scale is hard to justify.

Reflexive, adaptive governance is key to effective adoption of Covid-19 apps argue Alessandro Blasimme and Effy Vayena. Policy-makers must respond to the public’s concerns through adaptive governance: engagement, regular technical monitoring, legal definitions and ethical oversight. Their suggestion involves having mechanisms in place to test effectiveness, oversee the usage of digital contact tracing apps, monitor public attitudes, and adapt technological design to socially perceived risks and expectations.

Their model highlights robust oversight to nurture public trust and contribute to stronger ethical safeguards and future assessments.

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