Discussions on social media about digital contact tracing for COVID-19: Challenges for public health from Colombia

Abstract

Introduction. Pandemics are not a new phenomenon for humanity. COVID-19 pandemic brings unprecedented concerns that merit a careful reading, especially regarding digital contact tracing. Methods. A digital ethnography was carried out between March to September of 2020 to characterize the mobile applications created in Colombia for COVID-19 digital contact tracing. Emphasis was put on CoronApp, supported by the national government, leading to an analysis of citizens' discussions about these interventions on social networks. Results. Sixteen technologies for COVID-19 were identified, among mobile tracing applications and internet applications for labor, social, and mobility monitoring. The CoronApp application had more than 10 million downloads and it was the most used in the country. Users concerns were frequent, especially apropos the lack of guarantees of confidentiality in the handling of data, invasion of privacy, risk of commercialization, the power of state, the role of digital citizens' rights, as well as the lack of clarity on the epidemiological policy behind the apps. Discussion. The COVID-19 pandemic is the first global event to be fought digitally. That means a world of possibilities for public health but social and civic challenges about the governance of health and life, as well.