Using Big Data Tools to Analyze Digital Footprint in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Public Health Ethics Considerations.

Abstract

While many freedoms became halted by city lockdowns and restrictive travel bans amid coronavirus crisis, some countries and regions reopened with public health monitoring and surveillance measures in place. Technology applications such as real-time location data, geofencing technology, video camera footage, and credit card history are now used in novel and poorly understood ways to track movement patterns to stem viral spread. The use of big data analytics, which sometimes involve involuntary and unconsented data access and disclosure, raise public unease about data protection. The result is a balance between public health safety and ethical use of personal data that pushes the limits of privacy rights. Is it ethically permissible to use big data analytics instantiating the goal of public health by infringing on personal privacy in exchange for maximizing public security? Demonstrating the effectiveness of public health measures is difficult as scientific uncertainties and social complexities are presented. This article provides some public health ethics considerations in balancing benefits of public security and personal privacy infringement, supported with examples drawn from Asian countries and regions.