Recently, the Chinese government has introduced an app that allows people to check whether they have been in close contact with someone with coronavirus. Users first register their phone number, name, and ID, and then scan a QR code, which allows the app to determine whether they have been in close contact with someone who has been infected. The app then recommends users found to have been in close contact and at risk of being sick to self-quarantine and contact local health officials. While the app is aimed at reducing the continual spread of the disease, others have criticized the app for different reasons. Perhaps the biggest criticism of the app is that the technology would not be possible if not for the China government’s “oversurveillance” of its people. Other issues raised about the app is its inability to account for human error as virus testing is never 100% accurate. Consequently, false negative readings could lead app users to let down their guard by mistake whilst still at risk of contracting the disease. On the other hand, false positive readings might have the opposite effect of creating moral stigma and panic amongst the people. The question remains whether China ought to be using data-collection and surveillance tools to make these epidemic maps readily available in a mobile app.
