The app would play a role in the government’s plan to relax lockdown measures. It would notify individuals who may have been exposed to the coronavirus to take appropriate action such as self-isolate or get tested.
In a report published this week, the Joint Committee on Human Rights said the app must not be released unless there are strong safeguards in place. It warned the app could fall foul of data protection law and human rights protections unless there were clear benefits and efficacy to make collecting this data justifiable. Primary legislation must be used to guarantee data and human rights protections.
The committee called for an independent body to provide oversight, for the Health Secretary to review the app’s efficacy and safety every 21 days, and for the government and health authorities to transparent at all times about how the app and the data collected is being used.
The committee also said it is highly concerned the app has not been subject to in-depth parliamentary scrutiny and called for this to take place.
Harriet Harman MP, chair of the committee, said: ‘Assurances from ministers about privacy are not enough.
‘The government has given assurances about protection of privacy so they should have no objection to those assurances being enshrined in law. The contact tracing app involves unprecedented data gathering. There must be robust legal protection for individuals about what that data will be used for, who will have access to it and how it will be safeguarded from hacking.
‘Parliament was able quickly to agree to give the government sweeping powers. It is perfectly possible for parliament to do the same for legislation to protect privacy.’
