contact tracing

Data privacy will be a key focus as development of the government’s NHS tracing app heads toward testing and review. But with release still unlikely for several weeks, one member of the development team suggests that lost time has already cost lives.

The tool is able to track who a patient or staff member came into contact with and where they traveled in the facility. 

They will also launch a COVID-19 contact-tracing app to alert users of prolonged social proximity.

Seven witnesses submitted statements and answered questions, leaving Senators with promising tech ideas, legislative priorities and words of caution.

The app alerts users if they have come in close contact with the virus.

Governments are finding technology-based tracking is helping in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but when does it cross the line into problematic surveillance?

The two tech giants' unprecedented partnership looks to engage as many users in disease-tracing and prevention efforts as possible while tearing down the data silos of their respective smartphone platforms.

The in-development system foregoes GPS tracking and other identifying data collection methods in its effort to automate labor-intensive COVID-19 contact tracing. 

TraceTogether works by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other participating TraceTogether users in close proximity.