Getting Back To Normal: Big Tech's Solution Depends On Public Trust

Getting Back To Normal: Big Tech's Solution Depends On Public Trust Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images For something like normal life to return after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over, it will be critical to identify — and isolate — people who have been exposed to the virus, whether or not they have symptoms. The system Apple and Google are creating uses Bluetooth signals to help identify contacts the traditional method may miss. The system would then use the record of those anonymous Bluetooth signals to warn anyone whose phone has come near his in the last two weeks — including Alice. Using smartphones this way would not replace traditional contact tracing, but would expand its reach "because you may not remember who you were on the bus with, or you may not have known those people," said Dr. Louise Ivers, executive director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health.