An Australian conundrum : Genomic technology, data, and the covidsafe app

[Excerpt] In seeking to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities worldwide are reflecting on their ability to trace and track those who might have contracted the virus, and in turn, to know and protect those humans likely to be exposed. We suggest that the issue around technological innovations, including so-called contact tracing apps, is not whether they have a role to play in containing the pandemic, but rather, how those apps are used and what protections and rights might be given and guaranteed to concerned citizens using those apps. This paper examines the difficulties that have arisen in Australia in the use of its contact-tracing app. We examine the privacy implications around the use of the app, the wider economic imperative, and the balancing of those concerns against the health threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. We posit that default options are superior in times of emergency and rather than begging for the adoption of lifesaving technology, we suggest that the evidence gathered by behavioral economists provides an apposite and powerful alternative worthy of consideration.