Contact tracing traditionally involves human investigators manually tracking a disease from person to person so they can isolate those who may have been exposed and help inform authorities where and when to put lockdowns in place. Using technology like Bluetooth or GPS helps this process by providing even more data about where an infected person traveled. Apple and Google’s system only serves to notify individuals, rather than giving that information to governments and other the contact tracers trying to stop outbreaks. — AFP
From France to Australia to North Dakota, government apps designed to help authorities track and slow the spread of Covid-19 are struggling to accomplish their goals because of restrictions on data collection built into smartphones by Apple Inc and Google.
That’s leaving public health officials with few options but to use a system designed by Apple and Google themselves. The tech companies say their tools preserve privacy and work seamlessly on devices used by some 3 billion people.
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