Apple and Google Team Up and Launch Joint COVID-19 Tracking Tool Will This Be the End of Privacy?

Everywhere they talk about the current problem that is experienced by the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) and it is not to be taken lightly, since the situation has escalated And many countries are starting to turn to various methods to isolate people and also to be able to track people to determine if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Faced with this situation, Apple and Google have just announced the launch of a partnership for the implementation of a solution joint that allows infections to be tracked more effectively.

In fact, this combination of efforts will result in the implementation of a "complete solution including application programming interfaces (API) and operating system level technology to help enable contact tracking. "

Given the urgency, the companies announce that this plan will be implemented in two stages.

• First, in May, the two companies will launch APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official applications will be available for users to download through their respective application stores
• Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracking platform by integrating this functionality across the platforms.

According to the two companies:

"It is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more people to participate, if they choose to join, as well as allow interaction with a larger ecosystem"

This announcement seems to be very timely, since the contact tracking applications made available to the general public have shown their limits, since they did not allow the exchange of data via Bluetooth between iOS and Android devices.

The MIT researchers who introduced a contact tracing application using Bluetooth a few days ago such as Apple's Find My system also recognized that for this application to be effective the big names in technology must work together.

Regarding the function of this proposal, mentions that:

Identifiers change every 15 minutes y if a person who uses the applicationn is declared positive for coronavirus, with additional consent, the application transmits your identifiers during the last 14 days to the server of the health agency.

If among the contacts, a user has a public health application, his application will download the keys of the user who tested positive and the application will warn you that you have been in contact with a person declared positive.

Then, recommendations will be made to the latter so that he can take appropriate action for the future.

As for the second phase, it consists of integrating a tool contact follow-up at a lower level on Android and iOS operating systems. The advantage of this second solution is that it would prevent users from downloading contact tracking applications provided by public health agencies.

Therefore, even if a person hasn't downloaded an app contact tracing, this native tool would allow them, with your consent, follow contacts and also be followed.

Finally, even if the idea and approach of the application can be adored, concern arises by many users, as Apple and Google are not considered the most apt to say that privacy is assured.

Although, given the situation, many users also believe that it may be one of the last resources to be able to take advantage of technology to combat as much as possible to reduce the number of infected people and to be able to timely isolate all those who had contact with infected people.

But many problems arise even if privacy is left in the background, since there are also various situations where it simply cannot be worked, for example, in underdeveloped countries, with people who live in apartments (because the application scans around) Besides, the Bluetooth protocol is considered one of the most vulnerable and those who want to take advantage of the situation arise here.

Source: https://www.blog.google