Bashir and Sharma author article in Nature Medicine on privacy protection and COVID-19

Masooda Bashir
Masooda Bashir, Associate Professor

iSchool Associate Professor Masooda Bashir and Informatics PhD student Tanusree Sharma have published a paper, "Use of Apps in the COVID-19 Response and the Loss of Privacy Protection," in Nature Medicine. In the paper, they examine how digital surveillance used to contain the spread of COVID-19 may impact privacy rights.

As the world deals with the effects of the pandemic, some countries have launched tracking apps for their citizenry. Common functionalities of the apps are live maps and updates of confirmed cases; real-time location-based alerts; systems for monitoring home isolation and quarantine; and education about COVID-19.

Bashir and Sharma examined fifty of the apps available in the Google Play Store that were developed specifically for COVID-19 and found that the majority of the apps require permission for numerous types of access to users' mobile devices. Only sixteen of the apps indicate that the user's data will be made anonymous, encrypted, and secured and will be transmitted online and reported only in an aggregated format.

According to the researchers, "What is disconcerting is that these apps are continuously collecting and processing highly sensitive personally identifiable information, such as health information, location, and direct identifiers (e.g., name, age, email address, and voter/national identification). Governments' use of such tracking technology—and the possibilities for how they might use it after the pandemic—is chilling."

Bashir and Sharma endorse the development of policies, mathematical models, and technological measures to protect data being collected. They also stress the importance of transparency in promoting how data can help contain the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring that civil liberties are protected.

Sharma focuses on research concerning information security and privacy from data-driven and forensic approaches. She received her BS in information technology from Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh. Prior to starting her PhD program, Sharma worked on a European Union-funded project in Bangladesh.

Bashir's research interests lie at the interface of information technology, human psychology, and society; especially how privacy, security, and trust intersect from a psychological point of view with information systems. At Illinois, she serves as the director of Social Sciences in Engineering Research in the College of Engineering and holds appointments in the Information Trust Institute, Coordinated Science Laboratory, and Beckman Institute. Before coming to Illinois, Bashir worked for several years as a systems analyst, technical trainer, manager, and global manager for a number of corporations in Silicon Valley, including Lotus and IBM. She holds degrees in mathematics, computer science, and psychology and earned her PhD in psychology from Purdue University.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Guadalupe Castillo

Twelve iSchool master's students were named 2024–2025 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MSLIS student Guadalupe Castillo earned her BA in international studies and Spanish and Latin American literature from the University of California, San Diego.

Guadalupe Castillo

iSchool researchers to present at CHI 2025

iSchool faculty and students will present their research at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025), which will be held from April 26 to May 1 in Yokohama, Japan. 

Kemboi receives the Research and Advocacy Social Justice Award

PhD student Gladys Kemboi has received the 2025 Research and Advocacy Social Justice Award from the Office of Diversity & Social Justice Education in the Office of Student Affairs. She was presented with the award at the Social Justice Awards Ceremony, which was held on April 8 in the Illini Union. The annual event honors and celebrates the work and dedication of University of Illinois community members seeking to create a more inclusive and equitable campus.

Gladys Kemboi

Undergraduate Research Symposium features iSchool students and mentors

Several iSchool undergraduate students will participate in the 18th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. During the event, visitors will learn about undergraduate research projects through oral and poster presentations, creative performances, and art exhibits. All are welcome to attend the symposium, which will be held on April 24 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Illini Rooms and South Lounge of the Illini Union. Oral presentations will be held on the second floor of the Illini Union.