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Tech firms must prove that digital contact tracing is worth the privacy intrusion Before we use digital contact tracing, we must weigh the costs
(about 13 hours later)
THE PING of a smartphone usually means a text from a friend or a news story from a favorite publication. Soon enough, it could instead signal that it’s time to stay inside for 14 days. Technologists are coding furiously to create a plan for digital contact tracing that, paired with traditional manual methods and widespread testing capability, could ease the country out of lockdowns. But before the United States bets on Silicon Valley to solve its problems, leaders ought to ask themselves two questions: How well does it work, and how high is the cost?THE PING of a smartphone usually means a text from a friend or a news story from a favorite publication. Soon enough, it could instead signal that it’s time to stay inside for 14 days. Technologists are coding furiously to create a plan for digital contact tracing that, paired with traditional manual methods and widespread testing capability, could ease the country out of lockdowns. But before the United States bets on Silicon Valley to solve its problems, leaders ought to ask themselves two questions: How well does it work, and how high is the cost?
Apple and Google this week launched an initial version of a tool on their smartphone systems that lets devices keep track of other devices physically close to theirs via Bluetooth. People could indicate on an app provided by public health officials that they’d been infected, and those who’d been nearby would receive a notification so that they could self-quarantine or, ideally, seek a diagnosis — a strategy piloted in Singapore. The health officials could also get in touch with those tagged for follow-up interviews. All the while, civilians’ actual locations would remain uncharted; only proximity matters.Apple and Google this week launched an initial version of a tool on their smartphone systems that lets devices keep track of other devices physically close to theirs via Bluetooth. People could indicate on an app provided by public health officials that they’d been infected, and those who’d been nearby would receive a notification so that they could self-quarantine or, ideally, seek a diagnosis — a strategy piloted in Singapore. The health officials could also get in touch with those tagged for follow-up interviews. All the while, civilians’ actual locations would remain uncharted; only proximity matters.
[Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic][Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic]
There are logistical questions: How long should devices be near each other for their contact to register? How closely can signals be calibrated to reflect a distance of six feet, and is that even the correct metric? The tools can’t possibly account for a sneeze. These decisions could lead to a slew of false negatives or false positives. Also crucial is a critical mass of users: Oxford University researchers have suggested 60 percent of a country’s population must participate to ensure effectiveness. But all proposals so far are voluntary, and a Post study found that nearly 3 in 5 people in the United States say they’re unwilling or unable to use the system.There are logistical questions: How long should devices be near each other for their contact to register? How closely can signals be calibrated to reflect a distance of six feet, and is that even the correct metric? The tools can’t possibly account for a sneeze. These decisions could lead to a slew of false negatives or false positives. Also crucial is a critical mass of users: Oxford University researchers have suggested 60 percent of a country’s population must participate to ensure effectiveness. But all proposals so far are voluntary, and a Post study found that nearly 3 in 5 people in the United States say they’re unwilling or unable to use the system.
Relying also on precise location information, as states such as North Dakota and Utah are already piloting, might assuage some problems, but conjures up a new set of privacy harms. It’s almost impossible truly to anonymize such data, or to compare two people’s paths without some potential for identification. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology group proposes redacting carriers’ location trails to mitigate the risk, instead encrypting each individual time-stamped location. These data, the researchers write, could even be publicized to help civilians see hot spots in their area, not to mention used by public health officials to spot outbreaks and assess where they might ease restrictions.Relying also on precise location information, as states such as North Dakota and Utah are already piloting, might assuage some problems, but conjures up a new set of privacy harms. It’s almost impossible truly to anonymize such data, or to compare two people’s paths without some potential for identification. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology group proposes redacting carriers’ location trails to mitigate the risk, instead encrypting each individual time-stamped location. These data, the researchers write, could even be publicized to help civilians see hot spots in their area, not to mention used by public health officials to spot outbreaks and assess where they might ease restrictions.
It’s tempting. But more invasive strategies have their downsides. See South Korea, where amateur investigators attempted to sniff out and shame the infected based on government-released information. That same worry here could spook people out of even getting tested. Other countries have taken more draconian measures — such as the scannable codes China assigns its citizens based on the likelihood they’ve been exposed. These determine whether someone can enter a building or leave home at all.It’s tempting. But more invasive strategies have their downsides. See South Korea, where amateur investigators attempted to sniff out and shame the infected based on government-released information. That same worry here could spook people out of even getting tested. Other countries have taken more draconian measures — such as the scannable codes China assigns its citizens based on the likelihood they’ve been exposed. These determine whether someone can enter a building or leave home at all.
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Making the most difference may require eroding the most protections, and right now no one really knows how much of a difference tech-centric contact tracing can make in the first place. Everyone is looking for a miracle, but the inventors promising one must prove their proposals are more than moonshots. Then they should explain to the rest of us why the proposals are worth it.Making the most difference may require eroding the most protections, and right now no one really knows how much of a difference tech-centric contact tracing can make in the first place. Everyone is looking for a miracle, but the inventors promising one must prove their proposals are more than moonshots. Then they should explain to the rest of us why the proposals are worth it.
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