The Ethical Implications of Digital Contact Tracing for LGBTQIA+ Communities

Zyl, Izak van; McLean, Nyx

The onset of COVID-19 has led to the introduction of far-reaching digital interventions in the interest of public health. Among these, digital contact tracing has been proposed as a viable means of targeted control in countries across the globe, including on the African continent. This, in turn, creates significant ethical challenges for vulnerable communities, including LGBTQIA+ persons. In this research paper, we explore some of the ethical implications of digital contact tracing for the LGBTQIA+ community. We refer specifically to the digital infringement of freedoms, and ground our discussion in the discourse of data colonisation and Big Tech. We propose a critical intersectional feminism towards developing inclusive technology that is decentralised and user controlled. This approach is informed by a feminist ethics of care that emphasises multiple lived experiences.