Governments and public health authorities around the world have been working to find a solution to the question as to how to ease lockdown restrictions which have been introduced to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic without overburdening their health systems.
Some governments have been thinking about or have already been gradually lifting lockdown restrictions using COVID-19 mobile tracing applications. COVID-19 tracing apps can play an important role in managing the transition from strict lockdowns because they can warn users of an increased risk due to their contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and ask them to self-isolate. The hope is that contact tracing apps will help interrupt infection chains and reduce the risk of further virus transmission. However, there are important data protection considerations associated with developing and using such apps because they depend on the collection, use and disclosure of a significant amount of personal data.