Clever Cryptography Could Protect Privacy in Covid-19 Contact-Tracing Apps
55 years, 3 months ago

Clever Cryptography Could Protect Privacy in Covid-19 Contact-Tracing Apps

Wired  

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, any system that used smartphones to track locations and contacts sounded like a dystopian surveillance nightmare. "For the infected person, there's protection because their information has been already redacted and hashed," says Ramesh Raskar, a professor in MIT's Media Lab leading the project. If the government agency or health care organization controlling the server wants to violate the privacy of the infected users, it's still possible to "crack" those hashes by hashing all the possible times and locations on a map. Their system would report redacted, hashed location trails of infected users to a health care authority through a so-called Mix Network: a collection of at least three servers controlled by different entities. Like the onion routing system used by the anonymity software Tor, each of those intermediary servers would mix up the hashed, timestamped locations of users before passing them on to the next one, so that by the time they reach the government authority storing the hashes, that final server wouldn't be able to associate any of those hashed locations with a specific user.

Privacy Location Apps Location Data White App Locations Mit System Users Server Infected Hashes Raskar Safe Paths Those Hashes Infected Users  privacy  locations  users  infected  system  location  apps  contacttracing  clever  server  covid19  protect  hashes  cryptography  app

History of this topic

West Australians’ highly sensitive personal data put at risk as COVID-19 contact tracing system lacks security
2 years, 10 months ago

West Australians’ highly sensitive personal data put at risk as COVID-19 contact tracing system lacks security

ABC  

WA's COVID-19 contact tracing system is plagued with significant privacy and security concerns, putting at risk highly sensitive personal and medical information collected from more than half a million people. Key points: Authorities failed to adequately protect sensitive contact tracing data The auditor-general says controls need to be strengthened WA health has defended its system but agreed to adopt changes …

Public urged to work with contact tracing teams over Christmas period
3 years, 3 months 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 …

Test and Trace app ‘pinging’ people whose neighbours have Covid through walls, report claims
3 years, 8 months ago

Test and Trace app ‘pinging’ people whose neighbours have Covid through walls, report claims

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. Read our privacy policy The NHS Test and Trace app can “ping” people through walls …

Covid contact tracing to be scaled down, change in quarantine rule
3 years, 9 months ago

Covid contact tracing to be scaled down, change in quarantine rule

NL Times  

Based on advice from the Outbreak Management Team, the government will soon scale down coronavirus source and contact tracing. Last week, the OMT said that quarantine and source and contact tracing can be adjusted as more and more people are now vaccinated against Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The RIVM and health service GGD, who is …

COVID tracking app usage on the rise despite concerns of complacency in the NT
3 years, 9 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, 10 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, 11 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 …

Fine-tuning the State-of-the-app technology
4 years, 1 month 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 …

Singapore COVID-19 contact-tracing data accessible to police
4 years, 2 months 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, 3 months 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 …

Spam calls are hindering efforts to contact trace and track Covid-19
4 years, 5 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, 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 …

Largest study of COVID-19 transmission highlights essential role of super-spreaders
4 years, 6 months ago

Largest study of COVID-19 transmission highlights essential role of super-spreaders

LA Times  

In the bleak ranking of worst COVID-19 outbreaks, the United States, with 7.2 million infections, is likely to be eclipsed only by India, which has 1 million fewer cases but is catching up fast. Yet parts of India have led the world in one aspect of the pandemic response: contact tracing — the labor-intensive, time-sensitive, painstaking work of identifying people …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with covid-19?
4 years, 6 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 …

NHS Covid-19 app: Design problem means people could be told to self-isolate unnecessarily
4 years, 6 months ago

NHS Covid-19 app: Design problem means people could be told to self-isolate unnecessarily

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 A problem in the design of the NHS Covid-19 app means people could …

NHS coronavirus app: Future updates will warn users if they are exposing themselves to too many people, developers say
4 years, 6 months ago

NHS coronavirus app: Future updates will warn users if they are exposing themselves to too many people, developers say

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 A future version of the NHS Covid-19 app could warn users if they …

Government urged to 'prove' the Apple and Google coronavirus contact tracing app works
4 years, 6 months ago

Government urged to 'prove' the Apple and Google coronavirus contact tracing app works

Daily Mail  

The NHS contact tracing coronavirus app launches later this week amid a storm of doubt and uncertainty. Scroll down for video The effectiveness of the soon to be released app has been called into question on the eve of its launch with a charity asking why the public has yet to see data from the recent tests on the Isle …

L.A. has a new COVID-19 contact tracing app from a controversial source
4 years, 6 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, 7 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 …

NHS contact tracing app 'is unlikely to reduce the spread of Covid-19'
4 years, 7 months ago

NHS contact tracing app 'is unlikely to reduce the spread of Covid-19'

Daily Mail  

The new NHS Test and Trace app won't work unless the vast majority of the country installs it and even then social distancing will still be required, a new study claims. This week, they have started trialling the 'NHS Covid-19' contact-tracing app, after a series of delays in the development process Researchers say that 'automatic and semi-automated' contact tracing apps …

UK Begins Testing a New App to Fight Covid-19 Spread
4 years, 7 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 …

Mandatory quarantine for Covid-19 patient's close contacts
4 years, 7 months ago

Mandatory quarantine for Covid-19 patient's close contacts

NL Times  

The government is implementing mandatory quarantine for people who had close contact with a Covid-19 patient, even if they themselves have not yet tested positive for the coronavirus, Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health said to parliament. "In recent weeks we have heard from the GGDs that people are not cooperating properly with the source and contact investigation," De …

Column: I’m in Canada, where the COVID police are watching
4 years, 7 months ago

Column: I’m in Canada, where the COVID police are watching

LA Times  

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged provincial leaders to be cautious in their coronavirus policies. It’s one reason Canada is doing so much better in this pandemic than we are: Unlike Americans, they set tough rules — and mostly obey them. Toronto, the country’s largest city, allowed bars and restaurants to resume indoor service — with lots of spacing …

Conspiracy theories debunked: Here’s what COVID contact tracers really do
4 years, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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 …

How contact tracing could help rein in COVID-19
4 years, 8 months ago

How contact tracing could help rein in COVID-19

LA Times  

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 …

Coronavirus UK: Tracking app dropped for Apple and Google tech
4 years, 9 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 …

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app may not be ready until winter, health minister admits
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app may not be ready until winter, health minister admits

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. Read our privacy policy The much-anticipated smartphone app to trace contacts of Covid sufferers may …

Privacy fears over COVID apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway
4 years, 9 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, 9 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, …

Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work
4 years, 9 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 …

Coronavirus: Government’s contact tracing app could ‘exacerbate health inequalities’
4 years, 9 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: Only 4 in 10 Covid-19 patients contacted at start of government's 'test and trace' scheme, leaked figures show
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Only 4 in 10 Covid-19 patients contacted at start of government's 'test and trace' scheme, leaked figures show

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Only four in …

French virus tracing app goes live amid debate over privacy
4 years, 9 months ago

French virus tracing app goes live amid debate over privacy

Associated Press  

PARIS — France is rolling out an official coronavirus contact-tracing app aimed at containing fresh outbreaks as lockdown restrictions gradually ease, becoming the first major European country to deploy the smartphone technology amid simmering debates over data privacy. The Google-Apple system uses a “decentralized” system backed by privacy experts because it keeps data on phones, but British and French officials …

UK's COVID-19 tracking system under fire amid warning of second wave of Coronavirus outbreak
4 years, 10 months ago

UK's COVID-19 tracking system under fire amid warning of second wave of Coronavirus outbreak

Firstpost  

PM Boris Johnson said a “world-beating” program for tracing those suspected to be infected by COVID-19, would be in place by 1 June. Britain’s system for tracing those with the novel coronavirus was under fire on Thursday as it grappled with the development of a tracking app and health workers warned the government that unless there was clarity it could …

Apple and Google share contact tracing technology that can help fight coronvirus
4 years, 10 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, 10 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 …

Experts raise concerns about security of coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe
4 years, 10 months ago

Experts raise concerns about security of coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe

ABC  

Australia's state health authorities now have access to what they hope will be a vital tool to help them fight COVID-19. Contact tracing teams can now start making use of data collected through the COVIDSafe app. Here's what the COVIDSafe app looks like and what it wants to do As Australia looks to implement an app that will help ease …

Corona apps well-intentioned but privacy concerns must be addressed
4 years, 10 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 …

‘I can’t be afraid of the risk to privacy right now’: Coronavirus and tracking app surveillance
4 years, 10 months ago

‘I can’t be afraid of the risk to privacy right now’: Coronavirus and tracking app surveillance

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. “As they should be.” Her experience in New York, …

Surveillance system or Covid-19 tracker? Coronavirus tracing Aarogya Setu app raises privacy concerns in India
4 years, 10 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 …

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app must not be released to public without privacy protections, MPs say
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app must not be released to public without privacy protections, MPs say

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 The NHS contact-tracing app must not be released in its …

With COVID-19 tracing apps comes privacy tradeoffs: Here's why you should be worried
4 years, 10 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, 10 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, 10 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, …

Coronavirus: New NHS contact-tracing app vulnerable to ‘malicious false alerts’, warn experts
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus: New NHS contact-tracing app vulnerable to ‘malicious false alerts’, warn experts

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. “A child could try to get a day off school by reporting symptoms from …

Coronavirus contact-tracing app could make 'privacy and rights another casualty of the virus', campaigners warn
4 years, 10 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 …

Coronavirus: NHS contact tracing app trial begins on Isle of Wight amid hopes tracking can help lift lockdown
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS contact tracing app trial begins on Isle of Wight amid hopes tracking can help lift lockdown

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 The new NHS contact-tracing app which is designed to track …

Public urged to download NHS coronavirus tracing app amid questions over privacy and security safeguards
4 years, 10 months ago

Public urged to download NHS coronavirus tracing app amid questions over privacy and security safeguards

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 public have been urged to download the upcoming NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app, …

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