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Apple has announced a new cooperation with Google via a press release. The cooperation will focus on Bluetooth technology, which is used to identify COVID-19 contacts.
In the current press release, Apple announced a new cooperation with Google. The purpose of this collaboration is to help governments and health authorities slow the spread of COVID-19. Privacy is at the heart of this. The statement states:
All over the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, keep people safe, and get society back up and running. Software developers are contributing by building tech tools to help fight the virus and save lives. In this spirit of collaboration, Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health authorities contain the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security at the heart of the design.
Starting in May, both Apple and Google will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These apps will be available in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Apple further explains:
Because COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, health authorities have recognized contact tracing as a valuable tool to contain the spread of the virus. A number of leading health authorities, universities and NGOs around the world have done important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology. To facilitate this, Apple and Google will launch a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to support contact tracing. Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while ensuring strong protection of user privacy.
Everyone can follow and analyze the work
In the coming months, both companies plan to work on enabling a broader contact tracing platform based on Bluetooth by integrating this functionality into their underlying platforms - iOS and Android. According to Apple, this solution is even better than a simple API because it enables interaction with a broader ecosystem of applications and government health authorities. All of the work and the information associated with it will be open and thus accessible to everyone. Initial details about the contact tracing technology are already available on Apple's latest website, including links to technical documentation on Bluetooth specifications, cryptography specifications and the framework API. Both Apple and Google do not use location data for the tracking function, even from users who have tested positive for Corona.
Even Apple and Google cannot identify the people
Furthermore, the tool is not intended to determine the location of individual people, but rather to record contact. This means that anyone who has been near an infected person should be warned and then go into isolation. The so-called "identifier," which is updated every 15 minutes and contains no personally identifiable data, will run through a relay server that can be operated by health organizations worldwide. The list of identifiers with which a person has come into contact will not leave the phone unless the user explicitly chooses to share it. Users who test positive will not be revealed to anyone else, Apple or Google, so everything remains secret. Since the data comparison is performed directly on the device, users can view the record for the last 14 days and thus track whether they have been near an infected person. Anyone who receives a notification of a possible infection will receive specific instructions via the respective application on what to do next. The press release concludes:
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. By working closely 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 to normalcy.
Further information on the documentation and press release can be found below. (Photo by alexey_boldin / Bigstockphoto)
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