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The promise and potential pitfalls of contact-tracing apps

As contact tracing apps roll out we ask if they will be a way out of coronavirus lockdown.

As contact tracing apps roll out we ask if they will be a way out of coronavirus lockdown. A trial of the UK's contact tracing app is being carried out on the Isle of Wight, and we find out from residents there how they feel about it. Such apps have led some to express concerns about privacy, and we discuss the issue with Lilian Edwards, professor of law, innovation and society at Newcastle University in the UK, who sits on the ethics advisory board for NHSX, which is developing the UK's app. We get an alternative perspective on the issue from Tom Chivers of Pro Privacy. And we hear from Milo Hsieh, student at the American University in Taiwan, how in that country, which was a contact tracing app pioneer, opting into the service was not really optional. Also in the programme, as lockdowns start to ease in many countries, and a tentative return to work begins, many employees are worried about how safe offices will be. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Jane Wakefield takes us through some of the fears and discusses possible ways to mitigate them. Plus, we look at the economic costs to football clubs of the coronavirus pandemic, with Mark Palios, who owns Division 4 Tranmere Rovers in the UK.

(Picture: Australia's contact tracing app on a phone. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Available now

27 minutes

Broadcast

  • Thu 7 May 2020 14:32GMT