Coronavirus: Privacy advocates say HSE planning a ‘super app’

WhiteMemento9

Antoin O Lachtnain, a spokesman for Digital Rights Ireland, told The Irish Times that according to information given to the group by the HSE, “they are planning to build a ‘super-app’ which will be much more comprehensive thant the contact tracing app which was originally discussed”.

“It will, we are told, also collect information about users health status. We are told that the app is going to be opt-in [require user consent] at launch, but as time goes on we are concerned that further functions are added to it, and that we will eventually end up with an app to monitor covid-19 status that is ‘mandatory but not compulsory for people who deal with the public or work in a shared space,” he said.

Source - Irishtimes

Wibbs

Leave your phone at home, when you may feel the need to. Problem solved. Unless you're addicted to it.

Nermal

Mandatory but not compulsory?

Sleeper12

Looks like nonsense to me. I can't see how they can force you to download the app or stop you from uninstalling it. You can turn location on & off as you please. You can even install it on an old phone & leave it at home or in the car.

I suppose restrictions might only be lifted for people who agree to install the app or immune people.

Seweryn

My (appless, if that's the word) phone that I bought about 17 years ago still works fine and I don't feel the need to add "apps" to it.

WhiteMemento9

Apple and Google partner on COVID-19 contact tracing technology

Across the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and get society back up and running. Software developers are contributing by crafting technical tools to help combat the virus and save lives. In this spirit of collaboration, Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.

Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health organizations have identified contact tracing as a valuable tool to help contain its spread. A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology. To further this cause, Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.

First, in May, both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores.

Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. This is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more individuals to participate, if they choose to opt in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities. Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders. We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze.

All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.

4068ac1elhodqr

Some states have already made this sort of thing manditory for new arrivals, one of those far-east places gives also give you a nice little BT/RFID wristband tag to perma-wear if in self/imposed quarantine.

While dumb phones are getting harder to source and buy, you can of course 'forget' to carry your phone around with you on purpose.
The solution to that? An RFID implant (perhaps with a temp sensor, a fever is the main constant symptom of this latest plague), can also be used for buying a cup of Starmucks with a quick wave of the hand.

The next gen of Bluetooth 5.0, may have a range of 240 meters, easier to geo-locate from distance, with an aul tracking beacon.