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Blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app to help governments enforce lockdowns

TL;DR

As coronavirus ravages the world, it was time for a blockchain COVID-19 contract tracing app. Spanish researchers are working on a blockchain-powered COVID-19 contact tracing application that will collect health data and help authorities enforce stricter lockdowns to prevent disease spread.

Blockchain technology is renowned for its high privacy and security credentials. As governments tackle the coronavirus, voices against privacy infringement are rising as well. Spanish researchers paid heed to privacy infringement calls and started work on a blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app that protects the privacy and checks the spread of disease.

Blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app has a broader appeal

Governments are doing all they can to prevent the spread of the pandemic. In their quest to ensure strict lockdowns, citizen data is being collected and shared on an industrial scale. Such an exercise is necessary to identify and restrict the movement of infected individuals. But civil liberty groups are increasingly getting worried over how much data collection is too much.

A team from the University of Salamanca’s Institute of Biomedical Research has started work on a blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app that promises privacy and COVID-19 prevention. They are also tracking the novel coronavirus evolution using advanced AI algorithms. The team is lead by Juan Manuel Corchado and Javier Prieto.

The blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app not only collects health data for treatment purposes, but it also works with governments to help with lockdowns and social distancing measures. The users install the app, create profiles (secured by private keys), and then permit the app to help accomplish the crucial tasks enforced by the regional authorities while being compliant with pandemic prevention measures.

What happens to citizen data after the pandemic

Global organizations have long demanded a digital ID for citizens. For example, the World Economic Forum supports such a system to ensure financial benefits transparently reach the low-income groups. The pandemic has only accelerated this trend. However, civil liberty groups are rallying against such widespread collection of data that may be used for nefarious purposes otherwise.

Governments are partnering with large corporations that often store massive caches of user data in order to reign in the pandemic. Some proposals are downright privacy infringing in nature. They disparately collect information that may later be misused. The mechanism of blockchain COVID-19 contact tracing app is yet unclear, but the use of DLT is a step in the right direction.

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Gurpreet Thind

Gurpreet Thind is pursuing Masters in Electrical Engineering at University of Ottawa. His scholarly interests include IT, computer languages and cryptocurrencies. With a special interest in blockchain powered architectures, he seeks to explore the societal impact of digital currencies as finance of the future. He is passionate about learning new languages, cultures and social media.

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