Warehouses are resuming operations as Covid-19 infection rates slowly recede, but managers may be missing out on one of the most effective tools for ensuring worker safety.
A recent survey shows that a whopping 71% of Americans won't download a Covid-19 contact tracing app, saying they don't trust the technology to protect their digital privacy. Contact tracing is the practice of identifying and notifying people who may have come into contact with an infected person to help break the chain of transmission.
The June study, which was commissioned by the German technology security firm Avira, also found that:
- People aged 25–44 rank Covid-19 tracing apps as a bigger digital privacy threat than identity theft or cybercrime.
- The people least likely to use the apps are also those most susceptible to the virus: 88% of people aged 55 and over said they do not intend to download the apps.
- Over 75% of Americans believe their digital privacy is at risk if tracing-app information is stored centrally so government and authorities can access it.
"We believe these survey results send a clear signal to both app creators and the government. Covid-19 contact tracing apps could fail before they launch if developers don't communicate to the public how they plan to protect people's privacy," Avira CEO Travis Witteveen said in a release. "Furthermore, most Americans reported they currently trust Big Tech over the government. For the success of this important venture, the technology experts should lead the charge on Covid-19 contact tracing apps."
