As public health infrastructures struggled to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world turned to technological tools.  A market for such tools also emerged, as the private sector identified a new business opportunity. The urgency of public health concerns has meant that many of these tools have been introduced in a legal and policy vacuum, and without public deliberation. The likely infringement on privacy and other civil liberities is often relegated to a second order concern - a necessary trade-off given the enormity and severity of the crisis.  

In May 2020, we began tracking the adoption of technological tools to manage public health concerns related to Covid-19 in India and conducted a rapid review on parameters of access,  privacy, accountability and scientific efficacy. We hope this data base can be a useful tool for researchers developing pathways towards the responsible use of digital healths services.

The rapid review of tech tools for Covid-19 accompanying this report can be accessed at: www.techtoolsforCovid19.in

This response was authored by the team at Tandem Research, the former home of the Responsible Technology Initiative.