Normative positions towards COVID-19 contact-tracing apps: findings from a large-scale qualitative study in nine European countries

Abstract

Mobile applications for digital contact tracing have been developed and introduced around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed as a tool to support 'traditional' forms of contact-tracing carried out to monitor contagion, these apps have triggered an intense debate with respect to their legal and ethical permissibility, social desirability and general feasibility. Based on a large-scale study including qualitative data from 349 interviews conducted in nine European countries

The Changes in Stress Coping, Alcohol Use, Cigarette Smoking and Physical Activity during COVID-19 Related Lockdown in Medical Students in Poland

“…In the group of people abusing alcohol who display harmful drinking behavior, there was no difference in the frequency of drinking after six months of the pandemic compared to that after a year of the pandemic. Similar results have been observed in studies conducted in many countries around the world over a similar period [ 37 , 48 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. The drinking of alcohol can be one of the ways of coping with stress, regulating tension and also avoiding confrontation with problems [ 55 ].…”

Widening or narrowing inequalities? The equity implications of digital tools to support COVID‐19 contact tracing: A qualitative study

“…Over 300 qualitative interviews conducted across nine European countries in April and May 2020 identified a spectrum of views regarding COVID‐19 contact tracing apps, ranging from opposition, through scepticism about their feasibility, to support. 35 , 36 Similar views were reported in focus groups held in May 2020 with UK adults. Those concerned about privacy, uptake of the app and stigma were most likely to say that they would not download a contact tracing app.…”

Delineating privacy aspects of COVID tracing applications embedded with proximity measurement technologies & digital technologies

“…There is debate on the prophylactic purpose and practicality of CTA in light of bioethical and governance concerns [ 79 ], as well as the difficulties inherent in incorporating key ethical principles into governance processes, particularly when they lack accountability [ 80 ]. The World Health Organization has affirmed the critical importance of adequate tracing application governance [ 62 ], owing to reservations and mistrust pertaining to the capacity of existing public health infrastructures [ 81 ], as well as government partnerships with large technology companies. Some studies refer to CTAs as “corporate tracing apps” to underline the private sector's and large technology corporations' involvement in the deployment of CTAs [ 82 ].…”

“…Some studies refer to CTAs as “corporate tracing apps” to underline the private sector's and large technology corporations' involvement in the deployment of CTAs [ 82 ]. These studies offer technical solutions such as decentralized applications [ 81 ]. Some research claim that CTAs have been normalized as valid instruments for state governance, leading to the development of a distinct kind of pandemic techno-governance in which the lines between care and control are compromised [ 83 ].…”