Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review
(1) Background: Contact-tracing apps only achieve their aims if the majority of the population installs and actively engages with them. Such acceptance depends on public perceptions and are likely influenced by privacy and security concerns. Therefore, this review evaluates public perceptions toward...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/865 |
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| author | Shehani Pigera Paul van Schaik Karen Renaud Miglena Campbell Petra Manley Pierre Esser |
| author_facet | Shehani Pigera Paul van Schaik Karen Renaud Miglena Campbell Petra Manley Pierre Esser |
| author_sort | Shehani Pigera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Contact-tracing apps only achieve their aims if the majority of the population installs and actively engages with them. Such acceptance depends on public perceptions and are likely influenced by privacy and security concerns. Therefore, this review evaluates public perceptions towards the privacy and security of contact-tracing apps used during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on identifying factors that influence acceptance. (2) Methods: A systematic literature review was performed. A total of 114 articles were retained as per the inclusion criteria, which included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. (3) Results: Eight main themes were derived: privacy, data protection and control, trust, technical issues, perceived benefit, knowledge and awareness, social influence, and psychological factors. (4) Conclusions: Improving privacy standards and the awareness of the digital contact-tracing process will encourage the acceptance of contact-tracing apps. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6ef791f578754a4dbed942fd98099fdd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-6ef791f578754a4dbed942fd98099fdd2025-01-24T13:21:06ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115286510.3390/app15020865Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative ReviewShehani Pigera0Paul van Schaik1Karen Renaud2Miglena Campbell3Petra Manley4Pierre Esser5Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UKDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UKDepartment of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UKDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UKUK Health Security Agency, London E14 4PU, UKDepartment of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK(1) Background: Contact-tracing apps only achieve their aims if the majority of the population installs and actively engages with them. Such acceptance depends on public perceptions and are likely influenced by privacy and security concerns. Therefore, this review evaluates public perceptions towards the privacy and security of contact-tracing apps used during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on identifying factors that influence acceptance. (2) Methods: A systematic literature review was performed. A total of 114 articles were retained as per the inclusion criteria, which included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. (3) Results: Eight main themes were derived: privacy, data protection and control, trust, technical issues, perceived benefit, knowledge and awareness, social influence, and psychological factors. (4) Conclusions: Improving privacy standards and the awareness of the digital contact-tracing process will encourage the acceptance of contact-tracing apps.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/865contact-tracingdigital contact-tracingCOVID-19public healthpandemic |
| spellingShingle | Shehani Pigera Paul van Schaik Karen Renaud Miglena Campbell Petra Manley Pierre Esser Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review Applied Sciences contact-tracing digital contact-tracing COVID-19 public health pandemic |
| title | Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review |
| title_full | Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review |
| title_fullStr | Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review |
| title_short | Privacy and Security in Digital Health Contact-Tracing: A Narrative Review |
| title_sort | privacy and security in digital health contact tracing a narrative review |
| topic | contact-tracing digital contact-tracing COVID-19 public health pandemic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/865 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shehanipigera privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview AT paulvanschaik privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview AT karenrenaud privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview AT miglenacampbell privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview AT petramanley privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview AT pierreesser privacyandsecurityindigitalhealthcontacttracinganarrativereview |