Pandemic strengthens China’s platforms as infrastructure providers Analysis From rural live-streaming to coordinating medical care, technology platforms in China have taken on a central role during the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic accelerated trends that further cement these companies as key infrastructure providers working in close tandem with the state – but this cozy relationship comes at a cost to many. By Dev Lewis
The great leveller? How Covid-19 responses could widen gender inequality in the UK Commentary The coronavirus pandemic – just like society – runs along fault lines of gender, race, class and other inequalities. With women over-represented in vulnerable frontline jobs, there are fears that technologies proposed to tackle the pandemic could inflict harms that differ based on gender. By Ella Jakubowska
How the pandemic kickstarted a health tech renaissance in Nigeria Feature Covid-19 has accelerated innovation in the Nigerian health tech sector, providing opportunities for growth in an industry that has typically lacked investment, government endorsement, and attention. By Ayodeji Rotinwa
Brazil delays privacy law, uses Covid-19 for data grab Commentary Federal, state, and city governments are working with technology companies to monitor citizens during the pandemic, with no guarantee of what will happen to the data after the crisis passes. The irony is that Brazil already has a law that would protect the right to privacy – but the government is trying to delay its implementation. By Flávia Lefèvre and Joyce Souza
How not to use tech in a pandemic - lessons from the UK Commentary From legal challenges to delays, leaks and policy reversals, the UK has stumbled in its tech response to the pandemic. A full assessment of what happened will take time, but the record thus far already offers lessons for the future. By Frederike Kaltheuner
So it works, after all! Why I installed the German coronavirus tracing app Commentary Open-source software, transparent communication, and public-private cooperation with both large and small companies—the development of the German contact tracing app could be a model for future government IT projects. By Malte Spitz
Profiteering from the pandemic: How India’s lockdown paved the way for big e-commerce disaster capitalism Commentary COVID-19 has become a moment of opportunism for Indian e-commerce companies to consolidate their market power, insert themselves into local supply chains and co-opt neighborhood stores. Policy interventions are urgently needed to preserve the autonomy of the traditional retail sector and prevent Big Tech’s takeover of local economies. By Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami
Online Seminar on COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in the U.S., EU and Asia Video The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and the Center for Democracy and Technology hosted a online seminar on COVID-19 contact-tracing apps in the U.S., the EU, and Asia on Wednesday, June 10th at 9am ET.
Basic internet access is not enough. We need universal connectivity! Commentary The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the ugly consequences of digital inequities around the world. The most privileged can rely on online tools as digital lifeboats while those with limited or no access are left adrift. The definition of internet access as a human right has to be expanded to include access to universal, reliable and affordable high-speed internet. By Laura Schwartz-Henderson
A “Bridge to Health” divides India Analysis The Indian government faces strong pushback from civil society for mandating the use of a privacy-intrusive COVID-19 tracing app. The heated legal debate resembles the previous one over the country’s controversial biometric ID system Aadhaar. By Kim Arora