FEATURES OF APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of world experience in the use of information technology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key technological trends are presented that play a decisive role in maintaining the health of society both during a difficult epidemiological situation and after it. An analysis of the world experience in the use of information technologies to combat the pandemic was presented, which made it possible to identify the following trends: national authorities began to actively resort to digital technologies to control and monitor sick or potentially infected citizens; governments subsidize private technology initiatives to prevent disease; there has been a sharp rise in the digitalization of healthcare, and telemedicine has become one of the leading tools in medical research. The problem of digital inequality is considered. In particular, it is noted that technology absorption cannot be carried out uniformly in different countries or social groups. This process is always characterized by digital divide, i.e. differences in the speed of implementation and adoption of digital technologies. Criminal practices in a pandemic are presented, incl. related to cybersecurity. It is concluded that the accumulated world experience in the use of information technologies allows us to identify the main trends and develop strategies for further development, but, at the same time, the ongoing changes actualize the risks and currently unresolved problems associated with ensuring human rights and freedoms, as well as minimizing inequality in the use of information technology.