At the end of last week, Apple and Google announced the release of a new API designed for tracing apps.
In order to improve contact tracing using the app and interoperability between iOS and Android, Apple and Google want to jointly provide an API that official health authorities can use. Now there seems to be initial interest, as Reuters reports. While some countries want to offer their own solution, the European Union is at least trying to create a common standard. This is known as Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT). According to the latest report, all 27 EU member states seem to be interested in the API promised by Apple and Google. The report.
Chris Boos, who promotes the PEPP-PT technology platform, says that [the API] can help shorten the path to adoption.
“We have to worry less about the stability of the operating system and the calibration of the devices,” said Boos, the founder of the German business process automation startup Arago, in written responses to Reuters.”
The use of this new interface is not a done deal at this point. But the advantages of such a model cannot be overlooked - as Boos explains. The Apple/Google API is deliberately a decentralized approach in which the data is only stored on the phone itself, unless the user tests positive and gives the app permission to upload the Bluetooth contact codes. Boos explains:
A centralized model offers so much better pandemic management potential without violating privacy. But it should be left up to the country. You can collect the same data on a decentralized model - it just means more people have to share data about infected people.
The data protection regulation is crucial
An official progress report on the "PEPP-PT" project is expected on Friday. A final decision may be made by then. Using the Apple/Google API would make sense, as it offers the highest data protection standards—not least because Apple itself is involved. It is, as we all know, of utmost importance that as many people as possible use these applications. However, concerns about data protection could slow this down. This makes it all the more important to provide clarity, educate, be transparent, and address this issue in the best possible way. Anyone interested in learning more about how these apps work and better understanding Apple/Google's API can find further information in our article: Apple & Google: How contact tracing works
definition – The difference between tracing and tracking apps is that tracing applications do not use geodata but register other smartphones in the immediate vicinity. (Photo by manae / Bigstockphoto)
