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As before, very few people use the Swisscovid app. bild: cornerstone / watson
ETH Researchers Clarify: Due To This Dilemma, Covid Apps Only Work Regularly
Governments must do more to ensure that the population trusts corona alert applications, as two Zurich researchers write in the trade journal “Science.” However, the apps are in a bind.
Consequently, smartphone applications that provide information on possible contacts with infected people could only develop their real effect with a sufficient number of users. But as long as the effect of the apps is not tested in people’s eyes, they are often not downloaded, write Alessandro Blasimme and Effy Vayena of ETH Zurich.
According to the authors, download numbers for Corona’s warning apps in many countries are well below expectations. In April and May, for example, between 55 and 70 percent of adults in the US, Switzerland and Italy were ready to use the Corona app. In fact, however, the user share in all the countries examined was sometimes well below 30 percent.
Involve civil society
Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis, plans for the introduction of the apps were often made without public participation, the authors note. “In democratic countries, this is likely to undermine confidence in technical solutions, especially if they incorporate a pervasive surveillance logic that appears to run counter to democratic ideals.”
The control bodies for the regulation of applications at the national level, in which not only experts but also representatives of civil society participate, the study says, could therefore remedy the situation. In addition, the population should participate better.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the SwissCovid app has been downloaded more than 2.7 million times in Switzerland. However, the app is only active for around 1.8 million users. (sda / dpa)
