Apple, Google partner up to launch COVID-19 contact tracing technology
In what seems to be a surprise collaboration, Apple and Google have teamed up to launch a system for tracking COVID-19 with our smartphones. The companies announced that the system will enable the use of Bluetooth technology to reduce the spread of coronavirus across the world. They plan to work with governments and health agencies and making users privacy and security central to the build up.
The spread of the coronavirus has surged hitting over 1.7 million confirmed cases with more than 100,000 deaths recorded globally. Many of the cases confirmed were transmitted through close contact with affected individuals and contact tracing has been identified as a valuable tool to help contain the spread.
What is contact tracing? In public health, contact tracing is the process of identifying people who have come into contact with an infected individual, thereby collecting information about these contacts. Contact tracing is now been adopted in countries around the world and has proven to help contain the spread of the virus.
South Korea has managed to successfully contain the spread of the coronavirus by applying the contact tracing system. Governments used sources such as cellphone-location data, CCTV, and credit-card records, to generally monitor its citizens’ activity. When an individual tests positive, the government sends out an alert that includes the individual’s last name, sex, age, district of residence, and credit-card history, with timely records of their activities.
This solution was not all that safe, as people could go on the internet and get information about people who have tested positive and condemn their reputation. This action also made some citizens reluctant to get tested. But overall, contact tracing was a huge factor in the reduction of the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
“A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology,” the companies said in a statement.
Apple and Google are also working on Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology that will help in enabling contact tracing. Then in May, both firms will launch APIs for iOS and Android devices, so that public health authorities apps can use them. These apps will be available on the Apple AppStore and Google PlayStore.
Later in the year after the API implementation is complete, both companies will allow larger Bluetooth-based contact tracing by developing support for the functionality straight into their operating systems, which will serve as an option available for individuals to participate. It will also allow interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities.
Apple and Google acknowledge that privacy, transparency and consent are most important to carry out this project, so they plan to partner with interested stakeholders to work with. “We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze.”
“All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate the return of everyday life,” the companies said.
