Apple & Google Join Hands To Combat Coronavirus With Contact Tracing Technology
The world has advanced with revolutionary inventions and cutting-edge technology aimed at saving humanity and easing the lives. But within this tech world, Apple and Google have become the rivals with highly influential competence as they thrive to surpass effectiveness with each new product. This rivalry has always helped mankind, and amidst this pandemic crisis, they have yet again come in the field to save the world.
The patient toll for COVID-19 is ever-increasing, which has led to a shortage of test kits around the globe. In this situation, Google and Apple are joining hands to build a technology that will help medical health experts to trace the infected people. The technology shall be readily on Android and iOS devices as these are commonly used operating systems. This collaboration was huge news as the rivals are working together for the first time.
The prime aim was to start off the world again by opening businesses, shops, and schools because that’s only going to happen once the coronavirus spread is slowed down. This technology will be a digitalized version of current contact tracing. With this technology in handheld devices, the health experts and doctors can check everyone who might have the infection or the people exposed to COVID-19. The prime reason for the flat curve in Taiwan and Hong Kong is the utilization of contact tracing.
This process is being automated by Google and Apple at a large scale as the health, and medical authorities will be able to track the infected people when they are in close proximity. The process shall utilize the smartphone signals for picking up the information. By mid-May, this technology will be available. To ensure the utmost level of privacy, the technology will be available to contact people who might have been exposed instead of targeting every individual.
This notion is expanding the contact tracing, which will aid in switching off the lockdown and make gatherings safe once again, so people can finally reach their workspaces and schools. According to experts, the contact tracing needs to be intense and aggressive in the United States for normalizing the situation because this first world country has been under the bad light with the pandemic. But considering this development, a magic bullet isn’t going to work.
There are multiple steps that need to be taken for initiating the contact tracing app working, and it will need time for optimizing the functions to trace infected people and, eventually, reduces the toll around the world. The steps include the following;
Without apps, technology cannot be implied, right? So, first of all, these health groups need to build an app. Google and Apple are only developing the easy to implement the technology. The contact tracing will be done by health groups, and they will be responsible for building the app and distributing it. These health groups include the organization with access to APIs. According to Google and Apple, they will support health groups for app development, while the sample shall be made available as well.
When we focus on health organizations around the world, technological innovations vary, putting pressure on complying with privacy, terms, and conditions. In other words, the apps might be available around the globe, but functionality might differ with regions. The APIs will be available in May, and Britain’s National Health Service is already developing the app. However, the app release date hasn’t been provided.
To make the app readily available, the wide array of testing will become integral. For instance, if someone is tested positive for COVID-19, the phone will transmit Bluetooth signals to all the phones a person must have crossed path with. But privacy concerns will be taken care of by implying cryptography as it ensures that an individual cannot be identified. Even more, the companies have taken care of the pranksters as well.
There might be people who would troll about being positive for coronavirus, but Apple and Google have made that app is notified only if the test is positive. In the United States, there are over three million pandemic tests been performed? This is positive news as the app needs extensive testing data. This technology is important because testing kits are in shortage, while millions of tests need to be run every day!
These apps shall be successful only if the majority of the population uses it. For instance, users will download the app and say yes to a pop-up asking them to participate in volunteering in health institutions. However, the governments cannot mandate the app, according to Apple and Google. With this notion, the app users need to allow location tracking and data consumption. As per stats, 60% of the population will need to download the app before the results appearing accurate.
People have been asking for a benchmark, but companies haven’t released any statement. However, they have said that increased downloads and utilization will have a positive impact on the effectiveness and digital contact tracing. With these implications and location tracking permission, people in the United States aren’t too fond and worry about privacy concerns. So, building trust is tedious, but Apple and Google have assured the public for zero compromises on security and privacy.
The development is for good, but if the technology will reduce the spread or help identify the infected patients is still unclear. Some medical experts have high hopes as the contact tracing will be automated. But creating technology is the first step, and there is an entire ladder to jump. This technology isn’t the broad-spectrum or an integrated solution but shall play an essential role in the overall health strategy to combat the pandemic.
According to experts, developing technology is easy, but ensuring enormous testing is essential for ensuring effective results. Last but not least, some experts are concerned about the wide net of Bluetooth, and the app cannot trace the person’s contact list because some people might have declined the app’s permissions.
As for now, let’s hope the technology kicks in because it will help at some proportion, right?
Originally published at https://audiovisualaoce.com on April 20, 2020.
