On health and privacy: technology to combat the pandemic

Key takeaways

• Technology has been harnessed in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, eg to administer remote medical consultations, analyse aggregate movements and track paths of contact.
• Successful applications are predicated on broad public support. They must address concerns about data privacy, and the potential for misuse of data by governments and companies.
• Transparent public policies and clear governance frameworks can help to build trust. One possible approach is to differentiate data use during a pandemic and in normal times.

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The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BIS or its member central banks.