• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Core Principles of Responsible AI
    • Accountability
    • Fairness
    • Privacy
    • Safety and Security
    • Sustainability
    • Transparency
  • Special Topics
    • AI in Industry
    • Ethical Implications
    • Human-Centered Design
    • Regulatory Landscape
    • Technical Methods
  • Living Dictionary
  • State of AI Ethics
  • AI Ethics Brief
  • 🇫🇷
Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Democratizing AI ethics literacy

Research Summary: Trust and Transparency in Contact Tracing Applications

June 28, 2020

Summary contributed by Allison Cohen, a researcher here at MAIEI. Also consultant at AI Global. Previously an AI Strategy Consultant at Deloitte.

*Author & link to original paper at the bottom.


In a matter of days, a contact tracing application will be deployed in Ontario. It is estimated that 50-60% of the population must use the app in order for it to work as intended, warning individuals of exposure to COVID-19. But, how much do we really know about this technology? Of course, automatic contact tracing can be more accurate, efficient and comprehensive when identifying and notifying individuals who have been exposed to the virus relative to manual contact tracing; but, what are the trade-offs of this solution? To guide our thinking, authors of “Trust and Transparency in Contact Tracing Applications” have developed FactSheets, a list of questions users should consider before downloading a contact tracing application.

According to the article, users should begin by asking which technology the app uses to track users’ location. If the app uses GPS, it works by identifying a user’s geographical location and pairing that data with a timestamp. In terms of efficacy, the technology is impeded when users are indoors or in a building with different stories (e.g. an apartment building). Bluetooth, on the other hand, establishes contact events through proximity detection.

However, Bluetooth’s signal strength can be obstructed by the orientation of the device as well as the signal’s absorption into the human body, radio signals or in buildings and trains. Neither GPS nor Bluetooth capture variables such as ventilation or the use of masks and gloves, which also impact the likelihood of transmission. Not to mention, both technologies rest on assumptions that the device is in possession of one individual and stays with them at all times. Both of these assumptions can result in a false determination of exposure.

In addition to accuracy concerns, users should consider:

  • Privacy: sensitive data users are asked to share with the application (health status, location details, social interactions, name, gender, age, health history)
  • Security: the vulnerability of the application to attack
  • Coverage: the number of users that will opt into the use of the application
  • Accessibility: whether the technology is accessible to the entire population (consider that 47% of people aged 65 and older do not have smartphones)
  • Accuracy: whether the limitations of Bluetooth and GPS location tracking will undermine the accuracy of the app
  • Asynchronous Contact Events: whether the app will capture risk of exposure from transmission in circumstances other than proximity to others (i.e. infected surfaces)
  • Device Impacts: the app’s impact on the users’ devices (battery life etc.)
  • Ability: users’ capacity to use the app as intended
  • Ability: interoperability between contact tracing applications downloaded by the rest of the population
  • Reluctance in Disclosure: whether users will submit information about their positive COVID-19 diagnosis

Check out FactSheets to obtain further details users should consider before downloading a contact tracing application.


Original paper by Stacy Hobson, Michael Hind, Aleksandra Mojsilovic´ and Kush R. Varshney: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.11356.pdf

Want quick summaries of the latest research & reporting in AI ethics delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the AI Ethics Brief. We publish bi-weekly.

Primary Sidebar

🔍 SEARCH

Spotlight

AI Policy Corner: Texas and New York: Comparing U.S. State-Level AI Laws

What is Sovereign Artificial Intelligence?

AI Policy Corner: The Kenya National AI Strategy

AI Policy Corner: New York City Local Law 144

Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation is a Historic First. Here’s What We Recommend.

related posts

  • How Tech Companies are Helping Big Oil Profit from Climate Destruction

    How Tech Companies are Helping Big Oil Profit from Climate Destruction

  • Moral consideration of nonhumans in the ethics of artificial intelligence

    Moral consideration of nonhumans in the ethics of artificial intelligence

  • An Audit Framework for Adopting AI-Nudging on Children

    An Audit Framework for Adopting AI-Nudging on Children

  • HAI Weekly Seminar Series: Decolonizing AI with Sabelo Mhlambi

    HAI Weekly Seminar Series: Decolonizing AI with Sabelo Mhlambi

  • The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence through the Lens of Ubuntu

    The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence through the Lens of Ubuntu

  • Research summary: Digital Abundance and Scarce Genius: Implications for Wages, Interest Rates, and G...

    Research summary: Digital Abundance and Scarce Genius: Implications for Wages, Interest Rates, and G...

  • Performative Power

    Performative Power

  • Nonhuman humanitarianism: when 'AI for good' can be harmful

    Nonhuman humanitarianism: when 'AI for good' can be harmful

  • The Role of Arts in Shaping AI Ethics

    The Role of Arts in Shaping AI Ethics

  • Moral Machine or Tyranny of the Majority?

    Moral Machine or Tyranny of the Majority?

Partners

  •  
    U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) at NIST

  • Partnership on AI

  • The LF AI & Data Foundation

  • The AI Alliance

Footer

Categories


• Blog
• Research Summaries
• Columns
• Core Principles of Responsible AI
• Special Topics

Signature Content


• The State Of AI Ethics

• The Living Dictionary

• The AI Ethics Brief

Learn More


• About

• Open Access Policy

• Contributions Policy

• Editorial Stance on AI Tools

• Press

• Donate

• Contact

The AI Ethics Brief (bi-weekly newsletter)

About Us


Founded in 2018, the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (MAIEI) is an international non-profit organization equipping citizens concerned about artificial intelligence and its impact on society to take action.


Archive

  • © MONTREAL AI ETHICS INSTITUTE. All rights reserved 2024.
  • This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  • Learn more about our open access policy here.
  • Creative Commons License

    Save hours of work and stay on top of Responsible AI research and reporting with our bi-weekly email newsletter.