## Colophon %% title:: IGF 2021 - Paradox of Contact Tracing Apps type:: [[output]] tags:: url:: file:: %% author:: Prateek Waghre status:: [[brewing]] ## Content These are the key points from my presentation at IGF 2021 - [The Paradox of Contact Tracing Apps]([https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2021-ws-110-the-paradox-of-virus-contact-tracing-apps](https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2021-ws-110-the-paradox-of-virus-contact-tracing-apps "https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2021-ws-110-the-paradox-of-virus-contact-tracing-apps") I've published a [pdf version]([https://www.dropbox.com/s/vriikexjmih114z/IGF%20-%20Paradox%20of%20Contact%20Tracing%20Apps%20-%20Prateek%20Waghre.pdf?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/vriikexjmih114z/IGF%20-%20Paradox%20of%20Contact%20Tracing%20Apps%20-%20Prateek%20Waghre.pdf?dl=0 "https://www.dropbox.com/s/vriikexjmih114z/IGF%20-%20Paradox%20of%20Contact%20Tracing%20Apps%20-%20Prateek%20Waghre.pdf?dl=0") of the presentation. And, Geneva Internet Platform's Digital Watch has published a [summary](https://dig.watch/events/igf2021/the-paradox-of-virus-contact-tracing-apps/) of the full session. 1. Internet Policy Review paper on COVID-19 Response Apps Landscape [^1] ![[2021-12-08 COVID response App Landscape.png]] 2. Sean McDonald's Technology Theater essay [^2] - *Public policy response focuses on the details of the technology intervention instead of addressing the core causes of, or solutions to the problem.* - Technology plays a bigger role in: - Interaction with the government - Government response(s) to solve problem(s) - As a result: - Changes the balance of government power, by shifting a number of political issues out of public process and framing them instead as procurement processes. - Nuanced conversations about the technical instrumentation of a publicly important governance issue are sensationalised. - Downstream effects - Opportunity cost - Changes lens of analysis (efficiency over effectiveness?) - Outsized role of experts 3. Takshashila's Viability Rating Framework [^3] [^4] - *The Viability Rating of a technological intervention considers its capacity to complement pandemic management with due regard to its population penetration, privacy and effectiveness implications.* - Considers: - Population Penetration: What portion of its serviceable audience can the specific measure cater to. - Privacy: How well does the intervention fare against the principles of data protection. - Effectiveness: The ability to achieve the stated result. 4. Considerations - Non-exhaustive list of policy considerations - Equity v/s Expediency - Voluntary v/s Mandatory - Operating within a legal framework - Union v/s Federal Response - Algorithmic determination of risk/immunity - Platform Power - Some Lessons from Ada Lovelace Institute's document on 'public perspectives on COVID-19 technologies' [^5] - Technology needs to be seen to be effective to be trusted - Tools should proactively address harms, discrimination and errors - not treat them as edge-cases that aren't addressed [^1]: Dieter, Michael, and Anne Helmond, and Nathaniel Tkacz, and Fernando van der Vlist, and Esther Weltevrede. 2021. "Pandemic platform governance: Mapping the global ecosystem of COVID-19 response apps". Internet Policy Review 10 (3). DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1568. https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/pandemic-platform-governance-mapping-global-ecosystem-covid-19-response-apps. [^2]: Sean McDonald - [Technology Theatre - Centre for International Governance Innovation (cigionline.org)](https://www.cigionline.org/articles/technology-theatre/) [^3]: [Viability Rating of Technological Interventions for COVID-19 – The Takshashila Institution](https://takshashila.org.in/viability-rating-framework/) [^4]: [Takshashila Discussion SlideDoc — Technological Interventions for COVID-19 Management: An Analysis – The Takshashila Institution](https://takshashila.org.in/takshashila-discussion-slidedoc-technological-interventions-for-covid-19-technology-management-an-analysis/) [^5]: [No green lights, no red lines | Ada Lovelace Institute](https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/covid-19-no-green-lights-no-red-lines/)