Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Public backs use of tracking app to manage Covid breaches
THE UK public supports the use of Covid-19 technology which allows the Government to track down and arrest those violating lockdown – according to research led by West experts.
New research suggests the majority of people in the UK are willing to use privacy-encroaching tracking technology and ‘immunity passports’ to protect themselves and others in the pandemic.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found more than two-thirds of respondents would accept some form of smartphone tracking app to help manage social distancing and the relaxation of a full public lockdown.
The research involved two online surveys with more than 3,500 respondents in total – the first carried out in March 2020 and the second in April 2020, when Covid cases had reached nearly 100,000 and resulted in almost 15,000 deaths.
Both surveys presented two scenarios involving an app, using smartphone tracking data to identify and contact those who may have been exposed to people with Covid.
The first scenario offered the app to participants – which they could choose to download.
The second scenario, however, made the app compulsory for all mobile phone users and enabled the Government to use the data to locate anyone violating lockdown orders and enforce them with fines and arrests.
Around 70 per cent of respondents accepted the opt-in app and almost 65 per cent accepted the mandatory version with tighter enforcement.
Acceptance was even higher when a “sunset clause” was introduced – offering to delete all personal data after two weeks. Its findings, though, are not reflected in the number of people who have actually downloaded the NHS Test and Trace app, prompting calls for this issue to be addressed.
Lead author Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol, said: “Attitudes were surprisingly permissive and this is good news for public health. But there appears to be a significant gap between what people say they’re willing to do and what they actually do, which needs further investigation.
“Lack of uptake is a big problem because such systems need more than half – 56 per cent – of the general population on board to be effective in helping control a pandemic.
Professor Lewandowsky added that although 21 million people in the UK had downloaded the track and trace app by the end of last month – this is still 10 million less than what is needed for it to work successfully.
“There could be many reasons for this, which could be technological barriers, confusion, or simply lack of awareness,” he added.
“But the fact respondents were very receptive and open to such tools should be encouraging and indicates while people don’t want to throw away their privacy, they are willing to make compromises perhaps for the greater good.”
The second research survey also explored attitudes towards ‘immunity passports’ – issued to people who carry Covid-19 antibodies as an indication they are immune to the virus and unable to spread it. Resistance to the idea was relatively low and more than 60 per cent of respondents wanted one for themselves.
Professor Lewandowsky said: “Only 20 per cent of people strongly opposed the idea, mainly on grounds of fairness, which was surprisingly low. It’s fascinating how people seem increasingly receptive to their personal data being used to inform themselves and others about what they can and can’t do.
“As a follow-up, it would be beneficial to know whether people have relaxed their privacy attitudes as an exception due to the emergency situation or if our findings show a wider acceptance of privacy-encroaching technologies, for example continuous monitoring of your power consumption at home or tracking of location by law enforcement authorities.”
The research forms part of an international project with similar surveys being conducted in countries across the world, including Australia, the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and Spain.