According to current knowledge, the German government’s new Corona warning app is intended to mid-June in the App Store. A first concept including documentation has now been published on GitHub.
The topic of the Corona warning app is constantly sparking new discussions. The decision to pursue a decentralized approach (storing the data on the devices) has already been received positively. But many citizens still have concerns. That is why the developers of the new application - SAP and Deutsche Telekom - have decided to make the app an open source project. The motto is: maximum transparency should lead to greater acceptance - whether the plan will work remains to be seen. A first concept has now been presented on GitHub published – a documentation is also included with the project. It states:
Does the open source approach lead to more trust?
We are developing the official COVID-19 contact case notification app for Germany, the so-called "Corona Warning App". This project aims to develop an application based on technology with a decentralized approach. The basis is the DP-3T (Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing) and TCN protocols and the specifications for Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing from Apple and Google. Like DP-3T and TCN, the apps and the backend infrastructure also follow the open source principle - licensed under Apache 2.0! The apps (for iOS and Android) will collect pseudonymized data from mobile phones in the area using Bluetooth technology. The data will be stored locally on the individual devices in order to prevent access to the data and control over the data by authorities or other entities. We comply with the applicable data protection regulations and guarantee the highest IT security standards. In this way, we address the data protection concerns of the population and hope to increase the use of the application.
The bottom line is that the app should only be able to process the most relevant data and comply with both German and European data protection guidelines. The aim is to contain the spread of COVID-19 with the help of modern technologies. The data protection declaration will also be as transparent as possible and understandable for every user. As already mentioned above, the federal government plans to release the Corona warning app for iOS and Android in mid-June. The app will require iOS 13.5 or newer, as it requires Apple's new "COVID-19 Exposure Notifications" interface. The corresponding iOS update should therefore follow very soon. You can find more details on how it works here. (Photo by petovarga / Bigstockphoto)
