Smile, you’re being traced! Some thoughts about the ethical issues of digital contact tracing applications

Abstract

In response to the current Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries are developing digital strategies for the identification of individuals who have been in contact with infected persons. Those strategies are mainly based on Contact Tracing applications. While the effectiveness of these technologies has not yet been demonstrated, and that their deployment conditions remain socially complex, they raise serious ethical questions. This paper presents an overview of the development of Contact Tracing and, suggests a reflection and possible solutions for their ethical and sustainable deployment through a more active and transparent citizen engagement.