The avalanche of COVID-19 applications developed to manage the pandemic has caused debates over the balance of public interest and the basic human right to privacy. COVID-19 apps, such as digital contact-tracing apps and statistical data analysis tools that help identify patterns that could lead to cures or prevention measures, have understandably led to the mixed emotion of excitement and concern. There is an excitement that experts could process the data to identify ways to curb the virus and concern that the apps could be used for surveillance or reveal sensitive personal data.
There is an underlining cryptographic concept called “homomorphic encryption” (HE) that has been around since the 1970s. If implemented in its full form, HE could simplify and shorten the debates around public interest versus privacy. The aim of this article is to explain HE with day-to-day relatable examples. After all, the background knowledge of cryptographic schemes can empower data subjects to make informed decisions when entrusting apps with their personal data.
You can read our full article on this topic published at IAPP here.