COVID-19 and Contact Tracing Apps – What Should Ireland Do? – Recording and supporting slides now available

Contact tracing is a key measure used in stopping the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks. Contact tracing applications downloaded onto mobile phones have the potential to make the job of contact tracing faster and more efficient than manual tracing efforts. However, there has been significant controversy and debate about the way in which these apps are being developed. There are fears that governments may use the apps to increase state surveillance or that the benefits of the apps will not outweigh the costs to our rights to privacy. Norway has shut down its contact tracing app following privacy concerns, the NHS app has been delayed due to security flaws, while the Russian app has been used to impose fines on those it thinks are breaking quarantine.

On 25 June 2020, one day after the HSE announced that Ireland’s COVID-19 tracker app is ready to launch, our panel of experts came together to discuss how these issues are being considered both in Ireland and internationally. If you missed the online debate on this timely topic, you can view the recording on the DRI website

This event was organised by the DRI in collaboration with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Coffee & Circumvention.