L'impatto del tracciamento digitale durante la pandemia da Covid-19: una breve rassegna della letteratura

The Covid-19 pandemic can be regarded as the first truly major global epidemic in the digital age. Digital tracking is a useful system to monitor symptoms and provide near real-time information for medical and governmental response. Contact tracking apps can make a strong contribution considering that 4 billion people worldwide own a smartphone. This article aims at a first review of digital tracking apps used in various countries such as: China, Australia, Sweden, London, Germany and Italy. This technology offers a monitoring opportunity to integrate digital health into long-term health systems, but to be useful it must be shared by at least 60% of the population. The qualitative analysis of this study shows that, in addition to the unreliability of the Bluetooth technology on which the system is based, there is also significant resistance to the use of apps because of fears that they will interfere with privacy. The issue of privacy remains fundamental and unresolved as digital measures can be intrusive and erode individual freedoms.