COVIDSafe's effectiveness on iPhone in question as Government releases coronavirus contact tracing app
4 years, 8 months ago

COVIDSafe's effectiveness on iPhone in question as Government releases coronavirus contact tracing app

ABC  

The Government wants 40 per cent of Australians to use its contact tracing app COVIDSafe, but questions remain about the technology's performance on iPhone. Key points: If an iPhone is in low power mode, it reduces the background app refresh and may impact the ability to track contacts If an iPhone is in low power mode, it reduces the background app refresh and may impact the ability to track contacts It's also been suggested the iPhone app may not work effectively if too many other Bluetooth apps are running It's also been suggested the iPhone app may not work effectively if too many other Bluetooth apps are running Apple and Google are building their own contact tracing approach, which health authorities have been invited to build off COVIDSafe aims to assist with the process of identifying those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 once someone is diagnosed. However, if an iPhone is in low power mode, it reduces the background app refresh and may impact the ability to track contacts, according to a spokesperson for Government Services Minister Stuart Robert. While the technical details are yet to be made clear, it's also been suggested the iPhone app may not work effectively if too many other Bluetooth apps are running.

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History of this topic

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted: Centre
1 year, 11 months ago

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted: Centre

Hindustan Times  

All contact tracing data collected through the Aarogya Setu mobile application to locate potential cases of Covid-19 during the fight against the pandemic has been deleted, the Union government informed Parliament on Wednesday. Singh sought details of the current legislation governing the data collected via the application and whether the data collected by it till May 10, 2022, was deleted …

Aarogya Setu app contact-tracing data deleted: IT Ministry
1 year, 11 months ago

Aarogya Setu app contact-tracing data deleted: IT Ministry

The Hindu  

Contact-tracing data from the COVID-19 pandemic collected by the Aarogya Setu app has been deleted from government databases, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a written response in Parliament. “In accordance with the provisions of the, the contact-tracing feature of the Aarogya Setu mobile application has been discontinued and contact-tracing data collected through it has been deleted,” …

Police in Australia co-opted COVID-19 apps to fight crime
2 years ago

Police in Australia co-opted COVID-19 apps to fight crime

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Biker boss Nick Martin’s murder …

The COVIDSafe app is dead – but was it ever really alive?
2 years, 5 months ago

The COVIDSafe app is dead – but was it ever really alive?

ABC  

The federal government's COVIDSafe app has been scrapped just over two years after its launch. Months before, experts had warned the app's 15-minute exposure window – the time frame used to define a close contact – was "very useless" in tracking the more transmissible variant. In December 2021 Mark Butler — who was then the shadow health minister — called …

COVID tracking app usage on the rise despite concerns of complacency in the NT
3 years, 7 months ago

COVID tracking app usage on the rise despite concerns of complacency in the NT

ABC  

In Darwin's CBD, Faith McMurtrie is busy giving her customers their daily caffeine fix. Key points: The Territory Check-In app has been used almost four million times since December Some residents are concerned about a level of complacency in the community The Health Minister is encouraging Territorians to continue using the app As she works the coffee machine at her …

Apple, Google's COVID-19 tracing tech saved thousands of lives in UK, about time India gets it too
3 years, 7 months ago

Apple, Google's COVID-19 tracing tech saved thousands of lives in UK, about time India gets it too

India Today  

Apple and Google joined hands to develop the Exposure Notifications System to contact trace and alert users about possible COVID-19 exposure. Now a report has claimed that the contact tracing tech has saved lives of between 4,200 and 8,700 users in the UK. “Our analysis suggests a large number of COVID-19 cases were averted by contact tracing via the NHS …

Google Covid-19 Contact Tracing App Flaw Could Leak Sensitive Health Data: Report
3 years, 8 months ago

Google Covid-19 Contact Tracing App Flaw Could Leak Sensitive Health Data: Report

News 18  

Google, in a rare turn of events, joined hands with fellow big tech firm Apple to bring forth a privacy focused Covid-19 contact tracing effort at the height of the pandemic’s breakout in 2020. The report, coming from The Markup in partnership with the founders of mobile privacy analysis firm AppCensus, states a one-line flaw in the Google Covid-19 contact …

COVID app triggers overdue debate on privacy in Singapore
3 years, 11 months ago

COVID app triggers overdue debate on privacy in Singapore

Al Jazeera  

Government forced to amend law around app after it emerges police used the data to investigate a number of crimes. Under the new amendments to the COVID-19 Act, passed in the Singapore Parliament this month, personal data collected by digital pandemic contact-tracing programmes can only be used to contact trace, unless it is required by law enforcement for investigations into …

Fine-tuning the State-of-the-app technology
3 years, 11 months ago

Fine-tuning the State-of-the-app technology

The Hindu  

On January 13 this year, subscribers of English newspapers in India woke up to full-page Platforms and COVID-19 The issue of privacy is crucial for government technology platforms and services as governments typically have a monopoly in providing public services, unlike the private sector. An assessment of the 35 mobile applications revealed that 17 mobile apps provide information on COVID-19 …

California’s new contact-tracing app: What you need to know
4 years, 1 month ago

California’s new contact-tracing app: What you need to know

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has announced a voluntary smartphone app to alert people if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. Called CA Notify, the app relies on a tech framework created by Apple and Google that uses Apple and Android phones’ short-range Bluetooth radios to determine when two devices have been near one another for …

As Europe faces 2nd wave of virus, tracing apps lack impact
4 years, 3 months ago

As Europe faces 2nd wave of virus, tracing apps lack impact

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mobile apps tracing new COVID-19 …

L.A. has a new COVID-19 contact tracing app from a controversial source
4 years, 3 months ago

L.A. has a new COVID-19 contact tracing app from a controversial source

LA Times  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first came to Los Angeles in the spring, the county Department of Public Health has hired nearly 2,600 people to do the manual work of contact tracing: asking people who test positive for the coronavirus to list everywhere they’ve been and everyone they’ve seen in recent days, then tracking down anyone they’ve encountered and testing them …

Apple iOS 13.7 Gets Automatic COVID-19 Notifications: This Is How The Exposure Notifications Work
4 years, 4 months ago

Apple iOS 13.7 Gets Automatic COVID-19 Notifications: This Is How The Exposure Notifications Work

News 18  

Apple has released the new iOS 13.7 update for the iPhone line-up, and among all the new updates, there is one significant change for the COVID-19 Exposure Notification system. The way the new Exposure Notifications Express system now works is that in certain parts of the world, even if you don’t have a local app for COVID contact tracing installed, …

Contact Tracing Apps May Be Ineffective in Reducing Covid-19 Spread: Study
4 years, 4 months ago

Contact Tracing Apps May Be Ineffective in Reducing Covid-19 Spread: Study

News 18  

Contact tracing apps are unlikely to contain the spread of COVID-19 without proper public health control measures such as physical distancing and closure of indoor spaces, according to a review of studies. "Across a number of modelling studies, we found a consistent picture that although automated contact tracing could support manual contact tracing, the systems will require large-scale uptake by …

Dutch privacy watchdog says coronavirus app still needs work
4 years, 4 months ago

Dutch privacy watchdog says coronavirus app still needs work

Dutch News  

Dutch privacy watchdog AP has told the health ministry not to press ahead yet with its coronavirus tracking app, because various questions still remain about security and personal data controls. The app is part of a system and all other parts of that system should deal properly with privacy as well.’ Use of the app should also be regulated in …

UK Begins Testing a New App to Fight Covid-19 Spread
4 years, 4 months ago

UK Begins Testing a New App to Fight Covid-19 Spread

News 18  

Britain started testing a new smartphone app Thursday to help people find out whether they've been close to someone infected with COVID-19 after security concerns torpedoed an earlier effort to use technology to track the disease. The Department of Health and Social Care said that trials of the app began on the Isle of Wight, with testing in the London …

How does COVIDSafe compare to Europe's contact tracing apps?
4 years, 5 months ago

How does COVIDSafe compare to Europe's contact tracing apps?

ABC  

COVIDSafe was sold as Australia's ticket out of lockdown. And although we do not yet have sufficient empirical data comparing the performance of available models, she suggested it's likely apps built using the Google-Apple framework will work more reliably than COVIDSafe because the Bluetooth detection technique is built into the devices' operating systems. But there is also concern in Europe …

UK claims to work on hybrid contact-tracing app with Apple, not aware says latter
4 years, 6 months ago

UK claims to work on hybrid contact-tracing app with Apple, not aware says latter

India Today  

Days after the UK abandoned its organic contact-tracing app by the National Health Service and announced that it would work with tech giants Apple and Google to work on a hybrid app, Apple has said it is completely unaware of any such app. In the backdrop of COVID 19 with contact-tracing apps becoming a part of the new normal, Apple …

Coronavirus UK: Tracking app dropped for Apple and Google tech
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus UK: Tracking app dropped for Apple and Google tech

Daily Mail  

Matt Hancock tonight insisted Britain will eventually get a Covid-19 tracking app that works after ministers abandoned NHS-made technology following its failure in a trial on the Isle of Wight. Baroness Dido Harding, who is in charge of test and trace, today revealed the NHS's app did not work on iPhones The app developed by the NHS didn't work for …

NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app ditched in major U-turn
4 years, 6 months ago

NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app ditched in major U-turn

The Telegraph  

Officials said on Thursday that many countries around the world, including Singapore, had only uncovered problems with their technology after the systems were rolled out, adding that the new system would bring together the work on the current app and the Google/Apple model. Mr Hancock said on Thursday night that he hoped to make a hybrid app that combined the …

COVIDSafe app tests revealed iPhone performance issues at launch that weren't shared with the public
4 years, 6 months ago

COVIDSafe app tests revealed iPhone performance issues at launch that weren't shared with the public

ABC  

When the coronavirus contact tracing app was released in late April, Australians were largely told they did not need to do anything special for the app to work. Documents released by the Digital Transformation Agency reveal the app's ability to communicate between two locked iPhones was rated as "poor" as of April 26, which means at launch, its own tests …

Privacy fears over COVID apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway
4 years, 6 months ago

Privacy fears over COVID apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway

Al Jazeera  

Live tracking of users’ locations puts thousands of people at risk, Amnesty International says. Amnesty International has raised privacy and security concerns over “invasive” contact-tracing apps rolled out by Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The UK-based rights group said on Tuesday an investigation into COVID-19 apps being used by 11 countries had rated Bahrain’s “BeAware Bahrain”, …

COVIDSafe has been downloaded by millions, but yet to identify contacts (and authorities say that's a good thing)
4 years, 6 months ago

COVIDSafe has been downloaded by millions, but yet to identify contacts (and authorities say that's a good thing)

ABC  

COVIDSafe was sold by the Government as essential to lifting coronavirus lockdown restrictions, but the app is yet to provide much assistance to local health authorities. Key points: COVIDSafe data has been accessed just 30 times since launch In Victoria, it has so far identified no close contacts manual contact tracers did not find Health authorities still back the app, …

Opinion sharply divided about using an app to trace coronavirus cases
4 years, 7 months ago

Opinion sharply divided about using an app to trace coronavirus cases

Dutch News  

There is sharply divided support for a coronavirus tracing app among the Dutch and only one third say they would download it without question, according to research carried out by Delft, Maastricht and the VU universities. A further one third of the random sample of 926 people who took part in the research said they had doubts about using an …

Coronavirus: Government’s contact tracing app could ‘exacerbate health inequalities’
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus: Government’s contact tracing app could ‘exacerbate health inequalities’

The Independent  

Only half of manual workers, the unemployed and state pensioners say they will download the government’s contact tracing app, according to a new survey, sparking fresh concerns that the system could exacerbate health inequalities. Adam Steventon, director of data analytics at the Health Foundation, said: “The NHS contact tracing app could play a critical role in the fight against Covid-19, …

Coronavirus tracking app code unveiled; final version to come next month
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus tracking app code unveiled; final version to come next month

NL Times  

A beta version of the government-backed coronavirus tracking app has has been released to the public on Wednesday, with the final product being expected sometime in June, Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge confirmed on Wednesday. This follows nearly a month on from the government's appointment of a team of experienced developers to design the app, with the final product …

Canada to ramp up COVID-19 testing and tracing, working closely with Apple, Google on mobile app
4 years, 7 months ago

Canada to ramp up COVID-19 testing and tracing, working closely with Apple, Google on mobile app

Firstpost  

Canada’s total cases rose to 81,765 on Friday, and deaths were up less than 2 percent to 6,180. Canada will ramp up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing as it gradually lifts restrictions and is working closely with Apple and Google on a mobile phone app to help, the prime minister said on Friday. In his daily news conference, Prime Minister …

Apple and Google share contact tracing technology that can help fight coronvirus
4 years, 7 months ago

Apple and Google share contact tracing technology that can help fight coronvirus

India Today  

Authorities in 23 countries across five continents have sought access to contact tracing technology from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, the companies announced on Wednesday as they released the initial version of their system, as reported by Reuters. But authorities would have to stop requiring phone numbers from users under the companies’ rules, one of several restrictions that have …

Google and Apple release technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing
4 years, 7 months ago

Google and Apple release technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing

ABC  

New technology that could help alert people who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 is being tested to determine if it will work in Australia. Key points: Technology could help solve issues plaguing apps like COVIDSafe Technology could help solve issues plaguing apps like COVIDSafe App users who test positive would decide to notify people they …

Victorian health officials access coronavirus patient's COVIDSafe app data for first time
4 years, 7 months ago

Victorian health officials access coronavirus patient's COVIDSafe app data for first time

ABC  

Victorian health officials have accessed a coronavirus patient's COVIDSafe app data for the first time. Key points: Health officials on Monday identified that a Victorian who tested positive to coronavirus had downloaded and registered the app Health officials on Monday identified that a Victorian who tested positive to coronavirus had downloaded and registered the app It is the first time …

Data | How safe is Aarogya Setu compared to COVID-19 contact tracing apps of other countries?
4 years, 7 months ago

Data | How safe is Aarogya Setu compared to COVID-19 contact tracing apps of other countries?

The Hindu  

According to a database maintained by MIT Technology Review, Aarogya Setu, India’s contact-tracing app to combat COVID-19, poses significant risks to the privacy of the user compared to similar apps in other countries. The apps in China and Turkey pose greater risks for user privacy than Aarogya Setu. The following table lists government-backed apps of 19 countries based on five …

India follows China's lead to widen use of coronavirus tracing app
4 years, 7 months ago

India follows China's lead to widen use of coronavirus tracing app

India Today  

India is aggressively pushing a state-backed contact tracing app to fight the spread of COVID-19, raising fears that the world’s second-most populous nation is on its way to Chinese-style methods of high tech social control, says Reuters. It made India the world’s only democratic country to make the use of a contact tracing app mandatory for its citizens, according to …

Coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe now fully functional, Deputy Chief Medical Officer confirms
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe now fully functional, Deputy Chief Medical Officer confirms

ABC  

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has confirmed the Federal Government's coronavirus tracing app is now working after all states and territories signed up to allow its use. Key points: Health authorities nation-wide now have access to the app's data Health authorities nation-wide now have access to the app's data States and Territories have worked out privacy and security rules …

Corona apps well-intentioned but privacy concerns must be addressed
4 years, 7 months ago

Corona apps well-intentioned but privacy concerns must be addressed

India Today  

A massive data leak from the mobile phone-based Quarantine Monitoring System of the Madhya Pradesh government has sharpened the debate on privacy around the central government’s similar Aarogya Setu app. While the idea of such data platforms and mobile applications world-over is to disseminate useful information regarding the spread of cases in the neighbourhood to people and assist government agencies …

Coronavirus tracking app ready for beta testing by end May
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus tracking app ready for beta testing by end May

NL Times  

The Dutch government appointed a team of experienced developers to create its coronavirus tracking app and hopes to have the first version ready for beta testing by end May, Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health said to parliament. The Ministry of Public Health decided to develop its own tracking app after a previous attempt to get such an app …

Surveillance system or Covid-19 tracker? Coronavirus tracing Aarogya Setu app raises privacy concerns in India
4 years, 8 months ago

Surveillance system or Covid-19 tracker? Coronavirus tracing Aarogya Setu app raises privacy concerns in India

Hindustan Times  

As India enters an extended coronavirus lockdown, the government is actively pursuing contact tracing to help control infections. In this Thursday, May 7, 2020 photo, an Indian man uses Aarogya Setu app on his mobile phone in New Delhi, India. In April, India launched the Aarogya Setu app, which helps people identify whether they have been near someone who tested …

With COVID-19 tracing apps comes privacy tradeoffs: Here's why you should be worried
4 years, 8 months ago

With COVID-19 tracing apps comes privacy tradeoffs: Here's why you should be worried

India TV News  

As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. “Governments and public health want to be able to track people” to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but people are less likely to download a voluntary app if it is intrusive, …

Can Australia's coronavirus contact tracing app COVIDSafe lift the country out of lockdown?
4 years, 8 months ago

Can Australia's coronavirus contact tracing app COVIDSafe lift the country out of lockdown?

ABC  

To speed up the process of contacting people who may have been exposed to coronavirus, the Federal Government is asking Australians to download its new COVIDSafe app. "If 40 per cent of people download the app, and if we're optimistic, half of those people are using it properly at all times — including having it running and open in the …

Here come COVID-19 tracing apps - and privacy trade-offs
4 years, 8 months ago

Here come COVID-19 tracing apps - and privacy trade-offs

Associated Press  

As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. “Governments and public health want to be able to track people” to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but people are less likely to download a voluntary app if it is intrusive, …

France accuses Apple of refusing help with ’StopCovid’ app
4 years, 8 months ago

France accuses Apple of refusing help with ’StopCovid’ app

Live Mint  

France accused Apple on Tuesday of undermining its effort to fight the coronavirus by refusing to help make its iPhones more compatible with a planned "StopCovid" contact-tracing app. Apple's iPhones normally block access to Bluetooth unless the user is actively running an app. The French minister said the app should be ready to be deployed on June 2 regardless of …

Coronavirus contact-tracing app could make 'privacy and rights another casualty of the virus', campaigners warn
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus contact-tracing app could make 'privacy and rights another casualty of the virus', campaigners warn

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The coronavirus contact-tracing app could make the UK's privacy "another casualty" of the …

Apple and Google ban use of location tracking in contact tracing apps
4 years, 8 months ago

Apple and Google ban use of location tracking in contact tracing apps

Firstpost  

Apple and Google said they will not allow the use of GPS data along with the contact tracing systems. Apple and Google have said that they would ban the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system the two are building to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the developers of coronavirus-related apps …

App for one season: on Centre's directive to use Arogya Setu
4 years, 8 months ago

App for one season: on Centre's directive to use Arogya Setu

The Hindu  

The Centre’s national directive for the mandatory use of its contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, as part of its COVID-19 combat measures, falls short of established legal standards for the protection of privacy. Going by the directive issued under the Disaster Management Act, all people residing in ‘containment zones’, all government and public sector staff and all employees, both public …

European virus tracing apps highlight battle for privacy
4 years, 8 months ago

European virus tracing apps highlight battle for privacy

Associated Press  

LONDON — Goodbye lockdown, hello smartphone. As governments race to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections, attention is turning to how officials will ensure users’ privacy. Some governments are backing the centralized model because it could provide more data to aid decisionmaking, but nearly 600 scientists from more than two dozen countries have signed an open letter warning …

UK testing coronavirus contact tracing app on Isle of Wight
4 years, 8 months ago

UK testing coronavirus contact tracing app on Isle of Wight

CNN  

London CNN Business — The UK government launched its first test of a coronavirus contact tracing appthis week on a small island off the south coast of England. The app, which was developed by the digital technology unit of the National Health Service, will also upload information to a central database to help public health experts study the behavior of …

Apple and Google show what their contact tracing system could look like
4 years, 8 months ago

Apple and Google show what their contact tracing system could look like

CNN  

San Francisco CNN Business — Apple and Google just provided a first look at how public health apps could use the coronavirus contact tracing software they are jointly developing. The two tech companies shared a series of images and guidelines on Monday for governments and public health authorities to integrate with their contact tracing apps, including how users will be …

Chief Medical Officer expects staged easing of coronavirus restrictions but wants physical distancing maintained
4 years, 8 months ago

Chief Medical Officer expects staged easing of coronavirus restrictions but wants physical distancing maintained

ABC  

The Chief Medical Officer says a greater uptake of the coronavirus tracing app will calm lingering concerns about containing the virus, and give leaders the ability to be more "bold" in easing restrictions. Key points: National Cabinet will assess easing some coronavirus restrictions later this week National Cabinet will assess easing some coronavirus restrictions later this week About a quarter …

Coronavirus app tracing capability not yet operational, despite 4 million downloads
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus app tracing capability not yet operational, despite 4 million downloads

ABC  

More than 4 million people have downloaded the COVIDSafe app, but the information it collects is not yet available to state and territory health officials. Key points: The app will not be fully functional until states and territories finalise data rules More than 4 million Australians have downloaded the app already App downloads will be a key discussion point when …

Remote Telstra customers unable to activate the COVIDSafe app, despite best efforts
4 years, 8 months ago

Remote Telstra customers unable to activate the COVIDSafe app, despite best efforts

ABC  

While Australians continue to debate privacy issues around the new COVIDSafe app, those in rural areas are being forced to go to great lengths just to activate the app before even being able to use it. Key points: Rural communities want to do their bit to help stop the spread of COVID-19 using the COVIDSafe app Telstra customers living remotely …

Majority would use a coronavirus tracing app, research shows
4 years, 8 months ago

Majority would use a coronavirus tracing app, research shows

Dutch News  

Over half the Dutch would be prepared to use an app to trace coronavirus infections if it met proper guarantees on privacy and security, the AD reported on Thursday. Young adults are the most likely to agree to use an app which would use bluetooth technology to alert them if they have been close to a coronavirus patient, the researchers …

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