> one simple and low-cost approach is to take more time for further discussion and review before accepting deployment of a system like this.
That's "simple and low-cost" in the sense that doing nothing is simple and low-cost, usually. But it's not an "approach" to anything. It's also not low-cost considering thousands of people are dying every day.
It doesn't seem to me that there are easy solutions for this problems that offer better privacy that we haven't yet thought about for lack of time.
It's an emotive issue and as technologists we often feel an urge to do something, anything straight away.
I'm not suggesting delaying forever, and I do realize that there is human impact at the moment. I would not refer to the value of life in monetary terms that way.
There may not be easy solutions but there are plenty of other contract tracing technologies[1] that experts have been discussing, developing and critiquing.
I am suggesting that we allow those experts the time they need - no more, and no less - to get their work done to a sufficient level and report their findings to decision-makers.
After that feedback is gathered it could become apparent that deploying GACT as a closed-source, time-unbounded OS-level feature with app approval restricted to two companies situated in one nation of the world is less than ideal.
That could allow nations to collectively ask for changes to the proposal, with solidarity in their concerns and expert evidence to back it up.
That's "simple and low-cost" in the sense that doing nothing is simple and low-cost, usually. But it's not an "approach" to anything. It's also not low-cost considering thousands of people are dying every day.
It doesn't seem to me that there are easy solutions for this problems that offer better privacy that we haven't yet thought about for lack of time.