The NHSX Contact Tracing App was in the national news again this morning (Thursday).
A segment on BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme revealed that tonight’s Ethics Advisory Board will consider whether the App should be scrapped.
Sir Jonathan Montgomery, Chair of the Board, explained they had been considering discussions between centralised and decentralised versions of the App, but that ultimately the decision would be made by the Secretary of State.
A worthwhile tool
The Ethics Advisory Board say they think there is enough evidence to believe this is “a worthwhile tool to explore”, and to develop the initial rollout.
They’ll be meeting weekly with the Secretary of State to review the evidence.
What was considered?
In essence, the Board has considered which version of the App (centralised or de-centralised) would be most effective in enabling a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, balancing effectiveness with privacy concerns.
Sir Jonathan explained that whilst trying to ensure maximum privacy protection consistent with the Public Health objective, a number of key questions had been raised.
There were concerns of the impact of early isolation. Public confidence could be undermined if there were lot of false positive notifications, which in turn could risk increasing the spread of virus, he said.
Montgomery: “Just one of the tools”
Sir Jonathan said the Contact Tracing App was not a surveillance system tracking people’s movements and that although it was seen as an advantage for the App to give more tailored advice, but could not be at the cost of privacy.
Going on to explain the rollout of the App on the Isle of Wight was just one of tools of the Test and Trace programme – now headed by Baroness Dido Harding – he said it “should not be the only thing to look at, or even main thing to look at”.
A letter from the Chair to the Government sets out their findings and the six principles to ensure that the CV19 contact tracing app is ethical. (See below)
‘Secret files’
Yesterday, an article in Wired – Secret NHS files reveal plans for coronavirus contact tracing app – claimed to reveal the measures for success of the App and a voluntary expansion on the amount of information the App could gather in the future. The documents are dated 25th March and appear incomplete in places, but were viewed by a staff member this week, the article reveals.
Dr Geraint Lewis, NHS England’s chief data officer, said this week that the App would evolve overtime, “It is learning as we go along,” he said.
Coronavirus Contact Tracing App
The NHSX Coronavirus Contact Tracing App was launched on the Isle of Wight in the first week of May 2020. The App is the first phase of the new ‘test, track and trace’ programme, aimed at reducing the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19).
To download the App follow this link in your phone’s Web browser
Background reading
Coronavirus Contact Tracing App on the Isle of Wight: What you need to know | FAQ: NHSX Coronavirus Contact Tracing App | How to setup and use NHSX Coronavirus Contact Tracing App | In-depth explanation of how it works is available |Podcast with IW Council leader pitching the Island for the pilot
