In response to the global health emergency and, after much national soul-searching, the Irish government reluctantly decided to cancel this year’s Leaving Certificate, the set of final exams that a student takes in secondary school here in Ireland. The exams are key in that the grades achieved relate directly to a student’s access to university and course choices. This year, they will be replaced by teachers’ assessments and statistical analysis of previous year’s results.
Their cancelation did make me think back to my own time in secondary school where amongst the compulsory subjects I studied was the Irish language (Gaelic). I remember, in particular, that the Gaelic teacher would request that we begin our analysis of each Gaelic poem with “I mo thuairim,” which literally translates to, “in my opinion.”
An opinion (in any language) is a view, judgment or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter. A technical matter that has generated a lot of opinions during the current health crisis are COVID-19 tracing apps. I am delighted to say that many of these views considered privacy, the potential for stigma and harassment, inequality and access, information dissemination, preventing misinformation, and the use of centralized and/or decentralized databases. I am certain that these items were considered by Apple and Google (an unprecedented collaboration) in the development of a Bluetooth based, privacy-preserving contact tracing system.
One of the key reasons for selecting this privacy-preserving, decentralized approach is that it will likely increase adoption, a higher adoption rate increasing the utility of the app. In other words, the public’s opinion on privacy matters matter. This privacy can only be achieved by adopting a privacy by design approach. I discuss my opinion on similar issues in my ISACA Journal, volume 3, 2020, IS Audit Basics column “In Defense of Privacy by Design.”
As for the class of 2020, I am certain that they will achieve their dreams and we will hear their opinions, too, for many years to come.
Editor’s note: For further insights on this topic, read Ian Cooke’s recent Journal article, “In Defense of Privacy by Design,” ISACA Journal, volume 3, 2020.