‘Colorblind’ Tech is Killing Us: Why COVID-19 Tech Must Focus on Equity

As states began to more systematically document the demographics of those falling ill, it quickly became clear that Black and Latinx communities were far more likely to suffer the lethal impact of the virus. But, today, most technological innovations remain strangely ‘colorblind’ to the reality that racial inequalities play a significant role in where COVID-19 makes the most significant impact. Despite overwhelming data telling us that the most vulnerable, historically marginalized communities disproportionately bear the heavy costs of COVID-19, tech efforts still focus on an efficient moment of data collection and information-sharing — a ping or a text notice — designed to quietly let Person X (let’s call her Alice) know that they may have crossed paths with Person Y (let’s call him Bob) with COVID-19.

Put simply, today’s tech approaches to COVID-19 exacerbate the systemic racism and health disparities that have given the pandemic its grotesque shape in our country — because they ignore them. 

[Mary Gray is the Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, an E.J. Safra Center for Ethics Fellow and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center. This article was originally published on June 25, 2020.]