EC: Applications to combat the spread of the coronavirus on a voluntary basis and do not violate privacy

Mobile applications used by European Union members to combat the spread of the coronavirus should comply with privacy protection rules and require citizens' consent for the use of personal data, but may not contain location data, the European Commission said.

The EC's recommendations are part of a unique European approach to the use of technology in the fight against Covid-19 and come after several EU countries started using a range of apps, drawing criticism from privacy activists.

Germany was the first in the EU to raise the issue of the use of applications, arguing for the establishment of a single technology platform that would support contact tracing applications in all 27 member states of the bloc.

"Strong privacy rules are a prerequisite for the use of these applications," EU digital affairs chief Thierry Breton said in a statement.

The commission said that mobile applications should be approved by public health authorities, that they must be installed exclusively on a voluntary basis and deleted the moment they are no longer needed.

Applications should be based on anonymous data and be harmonized with other applications in other EU countries.

"Location data is neither necessary nor recommended for the purposes of contact tracing applications, as their purpose is not to track the movements of individuals or to enforce regulations," the commission's document said, citing security and privacy risks.

So far, 289 countries around the world have started using their contact tracing apps, including 11 European countries, while another 11 are developing apps based on GPS or Bluetooth data, according to an analysis by legal firm Linkletters.

"Contact tracing apps are by no means a magic solution. The fact that we have the means to identify and track those with the coronavirus is an important step, but there is also the challenge of widespread use for the applications to be effective," said lawyer Sonja Kise.

About two-thirds of the population should be involved for contact tracing to be effective, according to research by the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute.

The European Commission announced that public health authorities will assess the effectiveness of such applications by the end of the month, and the EU will present the results in May and compile a progress report in June.

Countries around the world use contact tracing apps

Many countries are already using contact tracing applications in the fight against the coronavirus, and Singapore was the first to do so with an application called "TraceTogether". Israel, which has made headlines for employing a spy service and state-run surveillance system to track cases of infection, has also developed an app called "The Shield." India is also using the app to fight the pandemic.

South Korea uses cell phone locations to track contacts, while Taiwan uses it to enforce quarantine measures and is also developing an app. China uses a variety of app-based tracking systems.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway around the world to develop contact tracing apps, many led by government research institutes and health authorities. The US government has yet to unveil its application, but at least two university research groups and one software development team have tried to win approval from state and local authorities.