Europeans also don't care too much for government monitoring
Almost three quarters of Americans say they will not submit their privacy to contact tracing apps, with Europeans also rejecting the notion or big-government collecting data about their movements because they do not trust government to keep their information safe and refrain from misusing it.
A study from Avira reveals that the vast majority of Americans are against contact tracing apps, with 71 percent saying they will not download them, and 75% believing their digital privacy is at risk from the technology.
The poll found that only 14 percent believe the government would protect their data effectively. When asked if they would trust big tech more than the government, 32 percent said they would feel safe giving Apple or Google their data. The study also noted that those working in Government and Healthcare are the least-likely to download the technology, with 84% of people from these sectors saying they will not use the apps.
Image: Avira
Travis Witteveen, CEO of Avira commented “We believe these survey results send a clear signal to both app creators and the government. COVID contact tracing apps could fail before they launch if developers don’t communicate to the public how they plan to protect people’s privacy.”
Image: Statista
In Norway, the technology has been completely abandoned after it was deemed to be too invasive. Amnesty International has warned that contact tracing apps like Norway’s are “most alarming mass surveillance tools”. The organisation’s assessment did not include the US contact tracing app. In the UK, despite touting it for months, the government has (predictably) failed to roll out its contact tracing app because of bureaucracy. Cybersecurity experts also analysed the source code of the app and found no less than seven major flaws. When it does finally work it will be too late anyway, as one NHS IT expert reminded us "Not a single large scale IT project undertaken by the NHS has ever worked... they have a 100% failure rate." "Couple this with the snooping elements they have incorporated into this App and it's one to definitely avoid."
Well, quite