Tracing
If smartphones can be used to track people for marketing purposes (and to identify illegal streaming), it should be perfectly possible to harness their power to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But in practical terms, that path has been beset with difficulties. This week in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre admitted there were several weaknesses in its contact-tracing app, and the government began downplaying its importance. Meanwhile, Apple and Google released their contact-tracing solution (the one the UK government isn't using...yet). It's important to note this is not an app, but a means to exploit the capabilities of smartphones while protecting user privacy. 22 countries have requested access to the technology but, just as with the wider struggle against COVID-19, most governments have so far failed miserably to display the level of cooperation and collaboration that common sense tells us will be required to control the pandemic.