Ethics board warns contact tracing apps could amplify inequalityIn the UK, 21% of adults do not own a smartphone.
What you need to know
An Ethics Board has warned the NHS that its contact tracing app could exacerbate inequality.
That's because 21% of British adults don't own a smartphone.
The warning highlights the wider global limitation of contact tracing.
An ethics board has warned the NHS that its contact tracing app could amplify inequality in the UK, on the basis that 21% of adults do not own a smartphone.
The Financial Times notes the board's fears that many potential users in the country "will not have up-to-date smartphones - or any device at all."
In the letter, penned April 24 and published yesterday, chair of the COVID-19 app's Ethics Advisory Board Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery writes:
Ofcom data suggests that 21% of UK adults do not use a smartphone. While the community benefits of a contact tracing app should still extend to this group, an increase in manual contact tracing is a crucial additional measure which will...
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Ethics board warns contact tracing apps could amplify inequality
