Who can access our data? Does digital contact tracing even work? Five questions about the government's new coronavirus app
4 years, 8 months ago

Who can access our data? Does digital contact tracing even work? Five questions about the government's new coronavirus app

ABC  

The Federal Government will soon introduce a contact tracing app, which aims to identify who someone diagnosed with COVID-19 may have come into close contact with in case they need to be tested or quarantined. "This new tracing app will be voluntary and will digitise the current contact tracing process that already occurs when an individual tests positive to coronavirus," he said. According to Mr Robert's spokesperson, the app's data will be fully encrypted, and "close contacts" will be shared with health authorities only after an individual has tested positive and consents to sharing their information. To win public trust in contact tracing, we need "genuine transparency" about how the app's data will be treated and when it will be deleted, said Anna Johnston, director of Salinger Privacy. Even Jason Bay, a product lead working on Singapore's contact tracing app, has said it "is not a coronavirus panacea".

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History of this topic

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted, feature discontinued: Govt tells LS
1 year, 11 months ago

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted, feature discontinued: Govt tells LS

Live Mint  

The Centre said on Wednesday that all contact-tracing data collected via the Aarogya Setu mobile application has been deleted. While it remains in use, the government said that the contact tracing feature - flagged by critics over security related concerns - has now been disabled. “In accordance with the provisions of the said protocol, the contact tracing feature of the …

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,” …

Head of WA's COVID-19 contact tracing reveals massive effort to gear up for state's reopening
3 years ago

Head of WA's COVID-19 contact tracing reveals massive effort to gear up for state's reopening

ABC  

Contact tracers are gearing up ahead of Western Australia's anticipated reopening date, as more and more locations around the state are listed as potential exposure sites. Key points: Head contact tracer Ben Scalley says public servants have been recruited from all across government to join the contact tracing efforts Teams are based throughout regional WA including in the South West, …

Public urged to work with contact tracing teams over Christmas period
3 years ago

Public urged to work with contact tracing teams over Christmas period

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People who test positive for Covid-19 over Christmas have been …

Now Isn't the Time to Abandon Contact Tracing
3 years, 4 months ago

Now Isn't the Time to Abandon Contact Tracing

Wired  

The rise of the Delta variant is sparking all sorts of memories—the anxiety amid the first Covid wave in spring of 2020, the crushing winter surge, the unceasing debate about “nonpharmaceutical interventions” such as masking and distancing, the concerns about kids and schools. But it hasn’t seemed to bring back discussions of contact tracing, one of the first best hopes …

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 …

Singapore COVID-19 contact-tracing data accessible to police
4 years ago

Singapore COVID-19 contact-tracing data accessible to police

The Hindu  

Singapore said on Monday its police will be able to use data obtained by its coronavirus contact-tracing technology for criminal investigations, a decision likely to increase privacy concerns around the system. to obtain any data, including TraceTogether data, for criminal investigations,” Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan said in response to a question in parliament. The privacy statement …

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 …

The five hallmarks of successful contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic
4 years, 2 months ago

The five hallmarks of successful contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic

ABC  

Contact tracing is the process of finding, assessing and managing the people who have been exposed to a disease, according to the World Health Organization. "One of our approaches in Australia is doing contact tracing in the first 24 hours of receiving a diagnosis, and I believe that Victoria is at 100 per cent at the moment," says Professor McLaws. …

Which countries are doing well with contact tracing for coronavirus? A look at South Korea, Singapore, China, New Zealand and Belgium
4 years, 2 months ago

Which countries are doing well with contact tracing for coronavirus? A look at South Korea, Singapore, China, New Zealand and Belgium

ABC  

Victoria's contact tracing system has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, while New South Wales has been held up as a gold standard. SARS experience helped South Korea's leap into action South Korea has just under 25,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, about 2,000 fewer than Australia, with about double the national population. "Contact tracing has the manual part to it, but …

Spam calls are hindering efforts to contact trace and track Covid-19
4 years, 3 months ago

Spam calls are hindering efforts to contact trace and track Covid-19

CNN  

CNN — Nine months into a pandemic that has killed 210,000 people in the United States, health officials are imploring residents to answer their phones. “If contact tracers do not hear back, a text message will be sent with a home visit time and date, and visits may be conducted without confirmation,” the health officials said. About 60% of contact …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with covid-19?
4 years, 3 months ago

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with covid-19?

Live Mint  

The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests positive for the virus, a contact tracer would get in touch …

Coronavirus news: Latest updates as UK cases hit highest daily total
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus news: Latest updates as UK cases hit highest daily total

The Independent  

✕ Close Boris Johnson warns ‘things will be tough’ as furlough scheme replaced Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Victorian coronavirus cases who don't answer their phone to contact tracers will soon get a visit from the ADF
4 years, 5 months ago

Victorian coronavirus cases who don't answer their phone to contact tracers will soon get a visit from the ADF

ABC  

Melburnians have been getting used to seeing Australian Defence Force personnel in uniform patrolling the streets, after the state called in 1,400 reinforcements to get on top of the spike in new coronavirus cases. Premier Daniel Andrews said: "That's not something to be afraid of, that's just everyone working together as one team to make sure that we've got the …

Coronavirus: Government’s test and trace system failing in areas battling major outbreaks, leaked analysis reveals
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus: Government’s test and trace system failing in areas battling major outbreaks, leaked analysis reveals

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Leaked analysis obtained by The Independent shows that across northwest England, the national tracing service …

Conspiracy theories debunked: Here’s what COVID contact tracers really do
4 years, 5 months ago

Conspiracy theories debunked: Here’s what COVID contact tracers really do

Salon  

In the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, contact tracing is downright buzzy, and not always in a good way. Misinformation abounds, from tales that people who talk to contact tracers will be sent to nonexistent "FEMA camps" — a rumor so prevalent that health officials in Washington state had to put out a statement in May debunking it — to …

Coronavirus Outbreak: What is contact tracing? How does it help in curbing COVID-19 cases?
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus Outbreak: What is contact tracing? How does it help in curbing COVID-19 cases?

Firstpost  

The focus of contact tracing is to find close contacts or people who were within two metres of the infected person for at least 10 minutes or so. The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus and prevent them from spreading it to others. The focus is on close …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?
4 years, 5 months ago

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?

Associated Press  

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19? The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests …

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 …

How Germany Staffed Up Contact Tracing Teams To Contain Its Coronavirus Outbreak
4 years, 6 months ago

How Germany Staffed Up Contact Tracing Teams To Contain Its Coronavirus Outbreak

NPR  

How Germany Staffed Up Contact Tracing Teams To Contain Its Coronavirus Outbreak Enlarge this image toggle caption Michael Probst/AP Michael Probst/AP Germany, a country of more than 83 million people, has flattened its coronavirus curve, dropping from a peak of more than 6,000 new cases a day to just around 600 now. "We've recruited staff from other district authorities, including …

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 …

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”, …

Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work
4 years, 7 months ago

Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work

CNN  

As more workers return to the office, companies are considering ways to track their employees to help prevent the spread of coronavirus among their workforce. “Employers are trying to understand how they reopen, and it’s going to vary by different companies,” said Todd Lohr, principal, digital enablement leader at KPMG. “Companies can leverage on managed devices, or even with other …

Matt Hancock downplays role of contact tracing app
4 years, 7 months ago

Matt Hancock downplays role of contact tracing app

The Telegraph  

Matt Hancock refused to give a launch date for the much-vaunted NHS tracing app, in an interview with the Telegraph in which he also downplayed its significance. Minimising the significance of the app, once viewed as the centrepiece of the government track and trace strategy, Mr Hancock said that it was now viewed only as “the cherry on the cake” …

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 test and trace system plunged into chaos as NHS staff unable to log in
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus test and trace system plunged into chaos as NHS staff unable to log in

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The new NHS test and trace system is being rolled out across England with the …

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 …

The Apple-Google Contact Tracing System Won’t Work. It Still Deserves Praise.
4 years, 7 months ago

The Apple-Google Contact Tracing System Won’t Work. It Still Deserves Praise.

Slate  

This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a Future Tense series. In Europe, countries like France and the United Kingdom are pushing for aggressive digital contact tracing efforts that involve government collection of broad new caches of location data. With respect to digital contact tracing, success depends on at least four factors—four factors that suggest the Apple and …

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 …

Coronavirus: Government admits NHS app will not be ready for launch of contact tracing scheme
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus: Government admits NHS app will not be ready for launch of contact tracing scheme

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said: “What we are calling for is for the …

Apple-Google contact tracing tool's initial version released, tech draws interest in 23 countries
4 years, 7 months ago

Apple-Google contact tracing tool's initial version released, tech draws interest in 23 countries

Firstpost  

Apple and Google said several US states and 22 countries have sought access to their technology. 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. Developers of contact tracing apps for Austria, Germany and …

Coronavirus: Government made ‘mistake’ in dropping test track and trace, says scientist on Sage panel
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus: Government made ‘mistake’ in dropping test track and trace, says scientist on Sage panel

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A leading British scientist who sits on the panel advising …

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 …

How Effective Are Contact Tracing Apps?
4 years, 7 months ago

How Effective Are Contact Tracing Apps?

Slate  

This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a Future Tense series. But we still don’t really know how effective contact tracing apps actually are—particularly in societies that don’t already have a vast surveillance infrastructure. Iceland’s success in managing COVID-19 might instead be attributed to other factors, including the country’s early testing of high-risk individuals before it even confirmed …

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 …

Aarogya Setu: Lack of data privacy laws, transparent policies make app worrisome, say MIT researchers
4 years, 7 months ago

Aarogya Setu: Lack of data privacy laws, transparent policies make app worrisome, say MIT researchers

Firstpost  

The most worrisome part about Aarogya Setu is that we don’t know who has access to the database and it is not an open-source app. Now, MIT University has reviewed the Aarogya Setu app to understand how effective is the app, is it safe to use, and how it compares to other contact tracing apps that are being used in …

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 …

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, …

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