Contact tracing apps could be used to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of them work by automatically registering another smartphone when it is close by for a set period of time. If the user then tests positive for COVID-19 in the future, the contact tracing app notifies these contacts. Concerns have been raised about misuse of personal data. Initial data suggests there has been slow uptake of this new technology by users, and it's unclear if contact tracing apps have had or will affect the pandemic. Northern Ireland, Scotland, and now England and Wales have recently launched contact tracing apps.
Documents to download
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Science in the New Parliament, 2010 (276 KB, PDF)
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) is the UK Parliament’s in-house source of briefing and analysis on policy issues with a basis in science and technology. After every general election, POST produces a special briefing highlighting some of the main science-based issues that the new Parliament is likely to encounter. Some have already been covered by POST in its series of regular briefings for parliamentarians (POSTnotes) and others will be the subject of future notes.
Documents to download
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Science in the New Parliament, 2010 (276 KB, PDF)
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This POSTnote describes edge computing, the use of computing resources in close proximity to the place where data are processed within a network, and some of the opportunities and challenges associated with its use. It supplements POSTnote 629.
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A POSTnote on digital skills for life will discuss the digital skills required for everyday life and employment, why parts of the population may lack these skills and which groups are most affected. It will consider the impact of the skills shortage on individuals and the economy as well as strategies to improve the population’s digital skills. Provisional start date: January 2021.
