A Review of COVID-19 Mobile Contact Tracing Applications and Their Impact on Privacy

Abstract

Contact tracing is a well-established process that has been utilized for years to assist in the effort to control the spread of contagious diseases. The rapid onset and spread of COVID-19 brought about the need for digital solutions which would help to speed up the collection and analysis of relevant health information. With the proliferation of mobile devices, the development of mobile device-based digital contact tracing applications appeared to be the solution. As countries around the globe created digital contact tracing applications for use by their respective populations, a variety of factors allowed for success for some and resulted in failure for others. This review highlights example countries with respect to their unique COVID-19 digital contact tracing solutions, the success or failure of the applications employed on mobile platforms, and the factors which have contributed to the success or failure of these solutions. Additionally, a review of research around data privacy and security in digital contact tracing apps is included.