Open AccessPassive Data Use for Ethical Digital Public Health Surveillance in a Postpandemic World
Author(s) -
John L. Kilgallon,
Ishaan Ashwini Tewarie,
Marike L D Broekman,
Aakanksha Rana,
Timothy R. Smith
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
jmir. journal of medical internet research/journal of medical internet research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.446
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1439-4456
pISSN - 1438-8871
DOI - 10.2196/30524
Subject(s) - public health , internet privacy , digital health , public relations , informed consent , public health surveillance , ethical issues , equity (law) , political science , psychology , engineering ethics , health care , medicine , computer science , law , engineering , nursing , alternative medicine , pathology
There is a fundamental need to establish the most ethical and effective way of tracking disease in the postpandemic era. The ubiquity of mobile phones is generating large amounts of passive data (collected without active user participation) that can be used as a tool for tracking disease. Although discussions of pragmatism or economic issues tend to guide public health decisions, ethical issues are the foremost public concern. Thus, officials must look to history and current moral frameworks to avoid past mistakes and ethical pitfalls. Past pandemics demonstrate that the aftermath is the most effective time to make health policy decisions. However, an ethical discussion of passive data use for digital public health surveillance has yet to be attempted, and little has been done to determine the best method to do so. Therefore, we aim to highlight four potential areas of ethical opportunity and challenge: (1) informed consent, (2) privacy, (3) equity, and (4) ownership.