Smartphones will warn of the risk of coronavirus infection: how it works

Apple and Google, which control the world's most popular smartphone operating systems, will warn their users that they might be at risk for coronavirus infection, writes USA Today. Here's how it works.

Photo: Shutterstock

Two tech giants are working on new contact tracking tools for public health organizations. These tools will be able to inform the user whether he has crossed paths with someone who subsequently received a positive result on coronavirus.

The new COVID-19 tools on iPhone and Android devices will use Bluetooth to detect nearby smartphones.

When a person receives a positive result for the coronavirus, he enters the result of this test into the application. With his consent, anyone who has been with him for 14 days receives a push notification that they may have been at risk of infection.

It would look something like this: “You recently came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Click for more information."

For years, public health authorities have been using contact tracing to interview infected people, find out who they are talking to, and recommend a course of action.

The smartphone version can help authorities quickly remove restrictions on social distance or respond to a new flash.

Participation in the program is voluntary. The effectiveness of contact tracking in a smartphone depends on how many people decide to use the program.

On the subject: Hotbed of infection: how to disinfect a smartphone so as not to pick up a coronavirus

Privacy advocates warn that the technology being developed is potentially vulnerable and raises important questions about how to protect people's confidential medical information.

Apple and Google claim to have taken precautions to keep track of anonymous data, and said that apps are not allowed to track your specific location.

On May 5, FireEye security firms said on their blog that apps should consider privacy and security implications when tracking users to help stop the spread of COVID-19:

“Apps must explain what data they collect and state under what conditions that data will be shared with third parties. Data must be stored securely, possibly through encryption. In some jurisdictions, users have the right to request access to collected data and may request its deletion.”

According to FireEye representatives, applications should be prepared to meet these needs.

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