The privacy aspect of the contact tracing coronavirus software has been the major issue, now Google and Apple show where they stand with a new security feature they are adding to it.
There is no doubt that tech giants like Google and Apple can building software that tracks almost everyone in the world. It is either someone you know is using a Google powered device or Apple’s own.
However, the damping force in building this sort of technology is trying to ensure people still have their privacy. It is even harder to convince them that they do.
As we reported, while a US senator calls for better privacy protection from the company’s executives, French authorities are asking them to disregard privacy rules. The question on everyone’s lips is: what price are individuals willing to pay?
Also read:
– ‘Relax Privacy Rules’ France Tells Apple And Google Concerning Tracing Software
– US Senator Calls For Google And Apple To Put Customer’s Privacy First In Coronavirus Tracing Software
– Huawei And China May Not Be Getting Apple And Google’s Coronavirus Tracing Software
Google and Apple have repeatedly shown that privacy is non-negotiable. While this sort of tech had seemingly worked in China at the price of privacy infringement, the tech companies are not willing to go down that road.
Some of the protective measures in place are as follows:
— Users have to opt-in, thus, it will not be turned on automatically. This could be a problem if many people refuse to participate. It is, however, a good privacy measure to give you some level of control.
— Better program encryption. This will scramble any information that leads to identification. Thus, it will be untraceable by any third-party or unauthorised body. It will also hide details like phone model and signal strength.
To further allay fears, Google and Apple say they would change the software’s name to ‘exposure notification’, instead of ‘contact tracing’. This is likely because ‘tracing’ makes people feel ‘watched’.
It is clear that the companies are doing everything to ensure that smartphone users willingly participate to help curb the coronavirus spread.
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