Ethical Problems

Due to the rapid wide spread of covid-19, a number of Covid-19 tracking apps have been developed and deployed to be used in many countries worldwide. Although information collected from these apps are crucial It is important to keep in mind these apps are ethical and do not violate the Code of Ethics.

Over the years Scientists have warned people from creating applications that can collect data on a large scale. These apps can be used to surveil society at large and the data collected are at risk of cyberattacks. It is crucial that the information collected at large is under the purview of governments and not organisations. If this was under purview of individual organisations then there is a risk of ACM Code of Ethics 1.7 Honour Confidentiality being violated. People voluntarily share their personal information and accept being tracked in order to prevent the huge outspread of Covid-19. However, it is paramount that the information collected is only used for contact tracing and it should not be misused or sold to other organisations and developers.

When creating these apps there are a number of things to keep track of. Most importantly voluntariness must be taken into account at all stages. The users who download these apps should be able to easily uninstall the app and when this happens the data collected should be removed and made unavailable. An important aspect of voluntariness is that people are not forced to download these apps. However, due to the pandemic and the importance of contact tracing, many countries have made it a requirement for each citizen to have such apps on their phones if they want to use public areas and transports.

The app MySejahtera is currently being used in Malaysia for this purpose

MySejahtera apps collect personal information such as their Contact Number, Email Address, Full Name, Identity Card/Passport Number, Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Home Address during the registration process. When you check-in your Name, Phone Number and Location are collected. If you are travelling then information such as your Name, Phone Number, Identity Card/Passport Number, Citizenship, Ship Number, Seating Number, Departure Destination, Arrival Destination and District are collected.

This data is used to help the Ministry of Health of Malaysia to track each and every person who has downloaded the app. In case someone gets covid then the information collected from the app can trace the recently visited places and people who he/her has met up with recently and inform them to get tested and self quarantine themselves. Although the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), the government agency responsible for cybersecurity, is trusted with MySejahtera’s data security and governance a lot of people are uncomfortable with the government having access to this information and tracking everyone to such a degree since they feel like it is a huge violation of privacy. This is despite some people recognising the necessity of collecting this information.

Each person inputs their personal information to verify their identity and will scan QR codes to leave a mark that they have been at a place. Most people would think their phone number and name would be recorded. But when you scan another person’s QR code you are presented with their name and IC/Passport number as well. Although this information is not saved in the app, a person can simply take a screenshot of the information. It is a huge violation of privacy to share another person’s IC/Passport number with someone else without having that person's permission. This is a violation of ACM Code of Ethics 1.6. People are made aware that they share their IC/Passport number after scanning each other's QR code. By the time they realise this their privacy would have already been breached. Once they realise this they will be more hesitant to allow another person to scan their QR code and may even stop sharing their QR code. In an event of one them getting covid-19 it will be harder to track who has met with him within recent days if he has not scanned the QR code of each person he met.