JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The global and national response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been inadequate due to a collective lack of preparation and available tools for a large-scale pandemic. By applying lessons learned to create better preventative methods and speedier interventions, the harm of a future pandemic may be dramatically reduced. One potential measure is the widespread use of contact tracing apps. While such apps were designed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the time scale in which these apps were deployed proved a significant barrier to efficacy. Many companies and governments sprinted to the deployment of contact tracing apps which were not properly vetted for performance, privacy, or security issues. As a result, public trust has been undermined, and perceptions of efficacy or personal privacy have resulted in poor voluntary public uptake of contact tracing apps in many instances. Now, with lessons learned from this pandemic, apps can be better designed and tested in preparation for the future, and the groundwork laid for greater public trust. In this review, we outline some common strategies employed for contact tracing apps, detail the successes and shortcomings of several prominent apps, and describe lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful deployments that may be used to shape effective contact tracing apps for the present and future. Contact tracing apps can now be designed with these lessons in mind to create a version that is suitable for the local culture and attitudes towards privacy-utility tradeoffs during public health crises.