Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello Sir or Ma'am,

I have been researching about the flaws in the current contract tracing system and contact tracing apps. I was wondering if there is anything I could base a project out off. Is there anything that is blocking these apps and the whole system from working efficiently or is contact tracing a pretty sound strategy?

Thank you,
Neerraj

Hello!

In regards to COVID-19, here is a really interesting article explaining the flaws of contact tracing.
https://medium.com/asecuritysite-when-b ... 39ac92488a

I think a major flaw of contact tracing is due to the fact that people are in contact with so many people during this time when they are eating at restaurants, and when they leave their house without a mask. Therefore, it is difficult to determine every person this individual was in contact with and trace it back.

What are your project guidelines, or what specific problem are you trying to solve with your project? If you have any more details, I can be of better help to help you develop a specific project idea, let me know if you have any questions!

In terms of guidelines, I have to solve a problem in contact tracing or make it more efficient.

Hi Neerraj,

I agree with the fellow expert. Especially in a populated city, it is impractical to track every single person you pass by. Something that you can look into that can be improved by these apps is a possible detection feature that allows the app to detect another person's device with the same app and record each other's identification automatically without the person having to manually type it in. For example, if you have the app on your phone and you come in contact with someone who also has the app on their phone, both devices can detect each other and transport information, as long as the personal information is safe to disclose. I hope this helps!