COVID-19 tracing software was added to most smartphones last week with the latest update but without much explanation. As of right now only a handful of states are using this technology, but it's still a possibility in the future. If put into action without proper explanation or federal data protections, researchers say the practice could harm Black and Latinx groups that have already been hard hit by the virus.

Data for Black Lives Policy Director Nicole Triplett adds, "With the contact tracing apps, or the tech assisted contact tracing efforts, what we're finding is that some of it's detached with the realities that many of our communities, particularly Black and Latino communities exist within.>

Trippett says without proper vetting or clear information on these apps, they could bring harm to minority groups that are already seeing spikes in active cases due to high involvement in the service industry.

"You might get a lot of notifications on your phone that you might have been in contact with someone who is infected but if you don't have paid sick leave then you can't really self isolate. Then it becomes a dilemma, 'yes I know I might be infected but what can I do?'" explained Cornell Postdoctoral Fellow Baobao Zhang.

And as racial tensions continue to rise in government amid Black Lives Matter protests, many are concerned about the possibility of data misuse if systems become digitized.

While there are HIPPA guidelines to follow with traditional contact tracing, technology based forms don't have the same legal protections.

"Ultimately we want something like legislation to protect users...right now what's protecting users and might not be very assuring is perhaps the technology itself," added Zhang.

New York is still using human based contact tracing but a digital future hasn't been ruled out yet. If the service is introduced, it will be on an opt-in basis. For more information you can look at the story on "What The New COVID Exposure Setting on Your Phone Means."