American technology giants Apple and Google released the COVID-19 contact tracing system they developed together for public health institutions.. With this development, healthcare organizations will be able to develop their own applications using this software.
EPFL (Swiss Research Institute) epidemiologist Marcel Salathe said, “The introduction of such APIs and the updating of operating systems will be a turning point in the use of distance tracking applications. ”
Apple and Google announced that “22 countries from 5 continents have access to the API and this number will increase in the coming weeks.”. Company spokespersons also stated that “with some exceptions, only 1 application can be used in each country.”. They also emphasized that their personal information is strongly protected and users can trust companies. He said he had consulted with many health care organizations. strong>
With the monitoring tool, other smartphones near the user will be registered with anonymous codes.. Other phones near the smartphone will remember this code, then record the anonymous codes they send and receive.
The user with a positive result of the coronavirus test will report this to the system.. Then this information will be sent to the central database and scanned.. As a result of the scan, an alarm will be sent to users who have contacted people with positive results in the database.. Thus, a tracking system will be developed by recording anonymous codes without receiving any location data.
At the beginning of May, they shared small tips about how the application’s interface might look.. They also announced that they have strengthened their security measures, such as encrypting data from Bluetooth.
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However, the biggest challenge against this system. The big problem is that the frequency of use may not reach the desired level.. For the system to be efficient, at least 60% of the population needs to use this app.. A survey conducted by the Washington Post-University of Maryland shows that three out of five American citizens do not want or cannot use this application.