Ethical, legal, and social issues related to the retrieval of personal information through digital contact tracing apps

Lessons from Japan

Authors

  • Seiji Bito Division of Clinical Epidemiology, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center

Keywords:

ethical, legal, social issues, personal information, digital contact tracing apps

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital contact tracing apps were developed and operated in various countries. They were partially effective in preventing COVID-19 transmission and fairly allocating finite healthcare resources such as hospitals. However, the functionality of digital contact tracing apps considerably varied among different countries. While one of the differences included technological development capabilities, a more prominent difference was that although digital contact tracing apps promoted public health benefits and the efficient use of finite healthcare resources, they also potentially increased the risk of personal information leakage or misuse of the app users' data. Higher app-mediated intervention facilitates the prevention of infectious disease transmission; nevertheless, it also increases the risk to users’ privacy.

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References

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Published

08-08-2023

How to Cite

Bito, S. (2023). Ethical, legal, and social issues related to the retrieval of personal information through digital contact tracing apps: Lessons from Japan. International Journal of Health Sciences, 7(S1), 2292–2296. Retrieved from https://sciencescholar.us/journal/index.php/ijhs/article/view/14484

Issue

Vol. 7 No. S1 (2023)

Section

Peer Review Articles
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