1
|
Comer L, Donelle L, Hiebert B, Smith MJ, Kothari A, Stranges S, Gilliland J, Long J, Burkell J, Shelley JJ, Hall J, Shelley J, Cooke T, Ngole Dione M, Facca D. Short- and Long-Term Predicted and Witnessed Consequences of Digital Surveillance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024; 10:e47154. [PMID: 38788212 PMCID: PMC11129783 DOI: 10.2196/47154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the deployment of digital technologies for public health surveillance globally. The rapid development and use of these technologies have curtailed opportunities to fully consider their potential impacts (eg, for human rights, civil liberties, privacy, and marginalization of vulnerable groups). OBJECTIVE We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify the types and applications of digital technologies used for surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predicted and witnessed consequences of digital surveillance. METHODS Our methodology was informed by the 5-stage methodological framework to guide scoping reviews: identifying the research question; identifying relevant studies; study selection; charting the data; and collating, summarizing, and reporting the findings. We conducted a search of peer-reviewed and gray literature published between December 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. We focused on the first year of the pandemic to provide a snapshot of the questions, concerns, findings, and discussions emerging from peer-reviewed and gray literature during this pivotal first year of the pandemic. Our review followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) reporting guidelines. RESULTS We reviewed a total of 147 peer-reviewed and 79 gray literature publications. Based on our analysis of these publications, we identified a total of 90 countries and regions where digital technologies were used for public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most frequently used technologies included mobile phone apps, location-tracking technologies, drones, temperature-scanning technologies, and wearable devices. We also found that the literature raised concerns regarding the implications of digital surveillance in relation to data security and privacy, function creep and mission creep, private sector involvement in surveillance, human rights, civil liberties, and impacts on marginalized groups. Finally, we identified recommendations for ethical digital technology design and use, including proportionality, transparency, purpose limitation, protecting privacy and security, and accountability. CONCLUSIONS A wide range of digital technologies was used worldwide to support public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of our analysis highlight the importance of considering short- and long-term consequences of digital surveillance not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also for future public health crises. These findings also demonstrate the ways in which digital surveillance has rendered visible the shifting and blurred boundaries between public health surveillance and other forms of surveillance, particularly given the ubiquitous nature of digital surveillance. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) RR2-https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053962.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leigha Comer
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lorie Donelle
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- School of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Bradley Hiebert
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Maxwell J Smith
- School of Health Studies, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Anita Kothari
- School of Health Studies, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Saverio Stranges
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Departments of Family Medicine and Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- The Africa Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Jason Gilliland
- Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jed Long
- Department of Geography and Environment, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jacquelyn Burkell
- Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jodi Hall
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - James Shelley
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Tommy Cooke
- Surveillance Studies Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Danica Facca
- Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cheshmehzangi A, Su Z, Zou T. ICT applications and the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on the individual's digital data, digital privacy, and data protection. FRONTIERS IN HUMAN DYNAMICS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fhumd.2023.971504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
A prominent move amid the COVID-19 pandemic is related to the wide use of ICT applications for various reasons. Such services are context-specific and sector-specific, but we see transformative directions leading to digital data collection, monitory, and management platforms. For now, these have been beneficial to evaluate trends and issues related to the pandemic. Some aggregated data could also help decision-making processes, which are helpful to contain such disruptive events. However, the main concern is the use of the individual's data and information, which means we may shift to micro-management and eventual controlling tools that could harm data protection processes. Undoubtedly, the use of ICTs during the COVID-19 pandemic has been primarily positive at multiple scales, but we have to evaluate the pros and cons before accepting all data collection processes. Such ICT-mediated platforms and/or applications must remain beneficial to all and avoid breaching the individual's data protection. This short communication paper first introduces ICT applications during the COVID-19 before providing an overview and further analysis of the situation of the ICT applications. Afterward, it discusses issues of data privacy, data collection, and data use, which are the backbone of ICT applications. The discussions highlight that future research in this area could look into associated issues related to digital privacy, data-driven approaches, and data protection regulations.
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang H. Reflection and Foresight on Personal Information Protection and Optimization in Public Health Emergencies in China-From the Perspective of Personal Information Collection during the Period of China's Dynamic-Zero COVID-19 Prevention and Control Policy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1290. [PMID: 36674045 PMCID: PMC9858992 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Public health emergencies threaten the overall public health security of the country. Based on the need to control the ways of infection, the collection and processing of personal information by the government have become an important part of epidemic prevention and control. However, personal information related to the epidemic is highly sensitive, which contains other personal information and even private information in addition to information on personal health. In the early days of China's response to the public health emergency of COVID-19, a great deal of non-desensitized information was transmitted in an unaccredited manner. With the implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures, the collection and processing of personal information in China have gradually transited from the initial disorder and chaos to the current orderly, legal, and effective situation, continuously optimizing the processing paths of personal information. Serious summary and reflection on the optimization path of China's epidemic-related information collection and processing methods by looking for a border at which the way and scope of personal information disclosure in future major public health emergencies are compatible with its purpose and role may help to improve the development of China's personal information protection legal system from a long-term perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Wang
- School of Civil and Commercial Law, Shandong University of Political Science and Law, Jinan 250014, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Donelle L, Comer L, Hiebert B, Hall J, Shelley JJ, Smith MJ, Kothari A, Burkell J, Stranges S, Cooke T, Shelley JM, Gilliland J, Ngole M, Facca D. Use of digital technologies for public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231173220. [PMID: 37214658 PMCID: PMC10196539 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231173220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of digital technologies have been leveraged for public health surveillance worldwide. However, concerns remain around the rapid development and deployment of digital technologies, how these technologies have been used, and their efficacy in supporting public health goals. Following the five-stage scoping review framework, we conducted a scoping review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify the types and nature of digital technologies used for surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the success of these measures. We conducted a search of the peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1 December 2019 and 31 December 2020 to provide a snapshot of questions, concerns, discussions, and findings emerging at this pivotal time. A total of 147 peer-reviewed and 79 grey literature publications reporting on digital technology use for surveillance across 90 countries and regions were retained for analysis. The most frequently used technologies included mobile phone devices and applications, location tracking technologies, drones, temperature scanning technologies, and wearable devices. The utility of digital technologies for public health surveillance was impacted by factors including uptake of digital technologies across targeted populations, technological capacity and errors, scope, validity and accuracy of data, guiding legal frameworks, and infrastructure to support technology use. Our findings raise important questions around the value of digital surveillance for public health and how to ensure successful use of technologies while mitigating potential harms not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also during other infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorie Donelle
- College of Nursing, University of South
Carolina, USA
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | - Leigha Comer
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | - Brad Hiebert
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | - Jodi Hall
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | | | | | - Anita Kothari
- School of Health Studies, Western University, Canada
| | - Jacquelyn Burkell
- Faculty of Information and Media
Studies, Western University, Canada
| | - Saverio Stranges
- Schulich School of Medicine &
Dentistry, Western University, Canada
| | - Tommy Cooke
- Surveillance Studies Centre, Queen's University, Canada
| | - James M. Shelley
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | - Jason Gilliland
- Department of Geography and
Environment, Western University, Canada
| | - Marionette Ngole
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Canada
| | - Danica Facca
- Faculty of Information and Media
Studies, Western University, Canada
| |
Collapse
|