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Inspired by the way China and South Korea apparently used smartphones to slow the spread of Covid, some US technologists have begun working on tracking apps. An open source project called CoEpi sprang up in February to develop an app with similar functionality to FluPhone. Ramesh Raskar , a professor at the MIT Media Lab, and colleagues are developing an app that would let people log their movements and compare them with those of known coronavirus patients, using redacted data supplied by the state or national public health departments.
Over time, users would be asked whether they are infected, providing a way to identify potential transmissions in a similar way to FluPhone. The team released a prototype for testing on Friday.
Others suggest similar technology be added to smartphones by default. An open letter signed by several dozen prominent technologists, executives, and clinicians, posted on Tuesday, called on the tech industry to do more to combat the coronavirus. Among other things, the group recommended that Apple and Google update their smartphone software to make it possible to track contact between people, providing users grant permission.
Apple and Google did not return requests for comment. Peter Eckersley , a distinguished technology fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a signer of the letter, says it should be possible to implement such a system without establishing a national database that could enable government surveillance. The Covid outbreak is rapidly inspiring new approaches to scientific research , disease detection , and drug development.
Some turn around and sell that data for profit. Many tech companies in the United States are wary of sharing large amounts of data with the government, in part because they are still smarting from revelations by Edward Snowden that the N. But in Britain, where there is a centralized, trusted national health system and where data privacy protections are more robust, officials believe people would agree to assist with a technique known as contact tracing, which has been critical in combating past epidemics. While the telephone has been around in one form or another for well over a century, and cell phones for a few decades now, the smartphone is still very new. How to choose a smartphone by brand, carrier, or features 2 days ago. Not all companies do that, but some do. These apps , along with several others such as Wallet, are sandbox from the rest of the OS to strengthen their security.
Smartphone surveillance might seem like a good solution to tracking the spread, but it is far from guaranteed to work. And it might do more harm than good. For one thing, the nature of Covid transmission suggests an app might only provide a very crude picture of the spread. A phone is typically able to determine its position with an accuracy between 7 and 13 meters in urban areas, according to a study published last year , and accuracy may often be less precise.
The Covid virus seems to spread between people who are within a few feet of each other. By Sara Harrison. Meanwhile it looks like you can come into contact with a train seat previously occupied by someone with the virus many hours earlier and be at risk.
Incorrect information might encourage risky behavior by giving people a false sense of security, Fry says, perhaps prompting people who believe they are safe to visit elderly relatives. Beyond this, it may be challenging to get people to report their infectious status reliably or to overcome concerns over privacy.
And at least 20 percent of a population would need to contribute for such an app to be effective for modeling a disease and predicting its spread. So far, the US government is not aiding efforts to develop virus-tracking technology.
The White House held a meeting with tech companies this week to encourage them to help in the fight against the coronavirus. A spokesperson says the idea of smartphone tracking or apps did not come up. Government use of coronavirus-related apps in China and South Korea have not been entirely positive. In South Korea, the authorities have sent out texts detailing the movements of specific people infected with Covid, stirring up public shaming and rumor-mongering.
The government is also using a smartphone app to ensure people stay home when they have been ordered to quarantine themselves.
Each piece of information represents the precise location of one smartphone over several months in and The results are almost dystopian in terms of visuals. Additional examples include the location data of 12 people visiting the Playboy Mansion and of others visiting the Johnny Depp, Tiger Woods, and Arnold Schwarzenegger estates. However, the outlet was able to identify and track U. Also read: All the key Android 10 privacy updates explained. The location data also hinted at failing marriages, evidence of drug addiction, and visits to psychological facilities.
This is where the concerns really crop up. State laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act will add protections for residents, but private companies are generally unencumbered when it comes to data collection and sharing. Take some time out of your day to read the piece. More posts about Privacy.
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