In the era of COVID-19, governments, a number of major tech companies, and small developers are creating contact tracing applications and tools in an attempt to continue containing the outbreak and re-open safely. Aiming to assist manual trackers, the majority of applications feature Bluetooth tracking, including Apple and Google’s joint effort, which identifies when two users are in close contact, but doesn’t record locations and is decentralized to control the data users upload. Apple and Google’s API has been deployed by a variety of governments, including in the UK, multiple states across the U.S., and Italy.
To many citizens, this all may feel intrusive, but contact tracing isn’t new -- it’s an age-old tool, usually done entirely manually, for public health officials controlling emerging diseases. Today’s advancements in technology could help augment manual contract tracing efforts. Yet, in its early stages, it's difficult to measure effectiveness of these applications, and major roadblocks have arisen that may deter users or make the technology more of a headache than its worth. Further, as applications are implemented across the world, a familiar debate arises over privacy and potential avenues for abuse.