Australia launched COVIDSafe, an app that can trace the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) but invades a person's privacy last Sunday.
COVIDSafe is based on Singapore's TraceTogether software, using Bluetooth signals "to exchange a 'digital handshake' with another user when they come within 1.5m (4.9ft)," according to BBC.
The app logs and encrypts all digital handshakes. COVIDSafe will notify its user if he/she had any contact with a user who tested positive for COVID-19.
However, "it has been criticized by civil liberties groups as an invasion of privacy," according to Reuters.
Safety is Australia's policy
In a televised briefing before the launch of COVIDSafe, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said, "We are winning, but we have not yet won." Australia has one of the fewest fatalities due to the pandemic.
Google Statistics show Australia, as of April 27, has over 6,700 confirmed cases, 5,558 recoveries, and 83 deaths due to COVID-19.
The Australian government said COVIDSafe is voluntary and safe. It will not track anyone's location.
Australian Hunt said the contact data "will help us as we seek to return to normal and the Australian way of life. No one has access to that, not even yourself ... only a state public health official can be given access to that data," in a report from Reuters.
The Verge said, "it would not be legally possible for other authorities to access the data."
The Australian government developed the app to prevent any resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Reuters said the government wants "at least 40% of the population to sign up to make the effort effective."
If enough people use COVIDSafe, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government can ease social restrictions. This would be slightly relaxed in Queensland and Western Australia, "to allow for larger outdoor public gatherings," according to Reuters.
But Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, said it won't relax social restrictions.
Joining the appwagon
Hunt said the app has over a million downloads, which he shared on Twitter.
As at 10:30 PM 1 million Australians have now downloaded and registered for the #CovidSafeapp - please join us and help protect ourselves, our families, each other but above all else our nurses and doctors — Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) April 26, 2020
But Australia and Singapore are not the only countries with contact tracing apps. Germany and Norway also have one, according to Telegraph.
The Robert Koch Institute designed an app that uses data from fitness watches. It will collect information like sleep, heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure. It will also ask users for their age, weight, height, and postal code.
According to the COVID-19 Response Blog, "Even mild cases of COVID-19 infections can, under certain circumstances, influence sleep and activity levels or an individual's resting heart rate." The postal code will help attribute the app's results to a geographical area.
Smittestopp, Norway's contact tracing app, is similar to Australia's COVIDSafe.
The Star reported, "Users will be notified if were in close proximity to (less than two meters) someone infected with the coronavirus for more than 15 minutes, but does identify that person."
Smittestopp registers the user's movements with geo-localisation. This will help authorities gauge the effectiveness of easing restrictions, which is centralized.
All users " will remain anonymous and their information destroyed automatically after 30 days," The Star added.
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