Abstract

As the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be a global challenge, there have been numerous efforts and actions from both government and private organizations towards keeping their community members healthy and safe. One of the approaches is to use mobile apps to trace contacts and update the status of the infected individuals efficiently and conveniently so that the spread of COVID-19 can be minimized and contained. While these apps could offer many advantages, it also raises serious privacy concerns for many users and hence possibly refusing to adopt it. In this study, we aim to understand the users’ expectations on the privacy protections and the provisions under which they are willing to use COVID-19 apps. We believe our study results can guide policymakers and app developers on the design, deployment, and acceptability of the COVID-19 apps that can be widely adopted.

INTRODUCTION

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, and it quickly became a global challenge with over 10 million cases worldwide being confirmed within six months according to WHO’s situation report (2020). The coronavirus disease in 2019 was further named COVID-19 by WHO, and the WHO Director General declared it as a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020 (R&D Blue Print, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative consequences on individuals around the world, not only by threatening their physical health but also by changing their lifestyles and daily routines. Because of the pandemic lockdown and social distance restrictions, people are forced to start self-quarantine, gatherings are limited, and telecommuting is encouraged instead of meeting in person. Therefore, it has been critical that the governments/health organizations swiftly respond to the pandemic and assist the ones most in need.