What Next: TBD

What Went Wrong With Contact Tracing Apps

They were supposed to help us keep the virus in check. Why don’t any of them seem to actually work?

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Episode Notes

In the early days of the pandemic, countries around the world invested heavily in new technologies that would help track the movement of the virus. Now, six months later, contact tracing apps are all but an afterthought in the fight to contain COVID-19. What happened? The U.K. provides some answers. The country put its faith in technology to contain the virus and paid the price.

Guest:

Gus Hosein, executive director at Privacy International

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About the Show

Every Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.

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