COVID-19 Contact Tracing Mobile Apps: A Comparative Perspective using the “Cascade of Deference”

Abstract

This article frames the action imperative as an ethical dilemma for governance actors. It situates the debate in the context of the design and implementation of digital contact tracing applications to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a normative case study approach, it seeks to answer the question—how can the ethical dilemma of an action imperative in the face of scientific and normative uncertainty, be resolved by governance actors in ways that can minimize harms? Drawing insights from the field of Science and Technology Studies, this article makes the case that when scientific evidence claims are weak, the action imperative should follow a cascade of deference with objectivity, consensus, precaution, and subsidiarity as stopping points. It concludes by making a broader case to promote moral reasoning concerning the substantive goals of digitalization.