“Contact tracing” apps reach the EU and Portugal is on the radar. They are here to stay
Italy and Germany already have Covid-19 "contact tracing" apps. France is heading that way and Portugal may have one in the coming weeks. Technology’s new trend has found a home in the EU of the GDPR.
The ambition of digital contact tracing has faded in some countries, but technology’s latest trend has found an unlikely new home in the European Union (EU) of the GDPR. After months of public debate on the subject, several Member States are now willing to offer citizens a voluntary mobile app that alerts people if they have been in contact with a patient diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
The new context marks a positive shift from the scepticism still felt in April, and is an encouraging sign for supporters of this innovative solution. It is now practically certain that digital contact tracing — which cross-matches codes transmitted by Bluetooth to detect Covid-19 transmission chains — will go ahead within the EU, and it is also certain that the various apps will be compatible with one another within Europe. Less certain is whether these apps can prove their promised effectiveness and move beyond the status of mere pilot projects.
AI translation from the Portuguese. First published in ECO on 21 June 2020.