Contact-tracing apps should be voluntary, says European Commission

A logo reading 'COVID tracker' is pictured in a call center dedicated to 'contact tracing.' The European Commission has published a document advising members on how to implement contact tracing while maintaining privacy. /Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/AFP

The European Commission is urging European Union (EU) governments to use COVID-19 contact tracing apps on a voluntary basis rather than attempting to impose them on citizens.

The recommendation is a part of a package of measures aimed at lifting border restrictions and reviving the EU's beleaguered tourism and travel sector.

Across the world, countries are rushing to develop mobile tracing apps, hoping the smartphone technology could help to reopen borders without unleashing a second wave of the pandemic. Most EU states are a part of the Schengen Area, in which citizens can travel freely across borders.

The development of the apps has triggered concerns about privacy breaches and government surveillance that could remain long after the coronavirus crisis has eased. The fears led to protests in Germany, where many citizens, in part due to the nation's history, are wary of the erosion of their privacy.

The apps, which have been used successfully introduced in some Asian countries, use Bluetooth short-range wireless to identify those who have come into contact with people infected with the virus.

The Commission sought to allay privacy fears, saying that citizens' access to transport services should also not be subjected to the use of such apps.

Nations hope the development of mobile tracing apps could help to reopen borders without unleashing a second wave of the pandemic. /AFP/Christophe Simon

According to a report seen by Reuters, the EU believes the apps could be used by passengers to detect and interrupt infection chains, reducing the risk of further transmission for as long as risk persists.

"Due to the cross-border nature of transport, it is important to try to ensure the interoperability and mutual acceptance of such measures," the document noted.

Worries about apps not being able to work across EU borders surfaced following a spat between France and Apple. With the country accusing the company of undermining its virus-fighting effort by refusing to help make its iPhones more compatible with a planned "StopCovid" contact-tracing app.

Apple and Google, which have their operating systems used on 99 percent of the world's smartphones, are working together to create an app to slow the virus spread by allowing users to opt into logging other phones they have been near.

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Source(s): Reuters