Apple and Google Strengthen Privacy of COVID-19 Exposure Notification System, Targeting Next Week for Beta Release

[MacRumors]

As a result of feedback from officials around the world, Apple and Google today have disclosed a series of changes to their upcoming COVID-19 contact tracing initiative, with a focus on even stronger privacy protections and accuracy.

• Apple and Google are now referring to "contact tracing" as "exposure notification," which the companies believe better describes the functionality of their upcoming API. The system is intended to notify a person of potential exposure, augmenting broader contact tracing efforts that public health authorities are undertaking.
• Keys will now be randomly generated rather than derived from a temporary tracing key, making it more difficult for someone to guess how the keys are derived and use that information to try and track people.
• Bluetooth metadata will be encrypted, making it more difficult for someone to try and use that information to identify a person.
• Exposure time will be recorded in five minute intervals, with the maximum reported exposure time capped at 30 minutes.
• The API will include information about the power level of the Bluetooth signal in the data that is exchanged between phones. This can be used in conjunction with the RSSI ("Received Signal Strength Indication") to more accurately estimate the distance between two phones when contact was made.
• Apple and Google will allow developers to specify signal strength and duration thresholds for exposure events.
• The API will now allow for determining the number of days since the last exposure event to better determine what actions the user should take next.
  The API's encryption algorithm is switching from HMAC to AES. Many devices have built-in hardware for accelerating AES encryption, so this change should help performance and efficiency on phones.

Further changes to the API specifications will be made over time based on continued feedback from public health authorities.

Apple and Google are targeting next week for the release of the seed version of iOS and Android operating system updates, which will support these APIs to enable testing by public health authority developers. The software update will support iOS devices released in the last four years, dating back to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Apple and Google revealed plans for this exposure notification initiative two weeks ago. The joint effort will use Bluetooth to alert users when they have potentially come in close contact with someone who later tests positive for COVID-19, on an opt-in basis. The companies have shared an updated FAQ for users with more details about the system.

Exposure Notification FAQ by MacRumors on Scribd​

Article Link: Apple and Google Strengthen Privacy of COVID-19 Exposure Notification System, Targeting Next Week for Beta Release

 

[code-m]

No thanks, this is like opening Pandora’s Box. Once it gets accepted it will not be able to be reigned in, just look at the track record of governments that push for this type of power and control.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

Exposure notification ... new world order speech

 

[FrozenDarkness]

No thanks, this is like opening Pandora’s Box. Once it gets accepted it will not be able to be reigned in, just look at the track record of governments that push for this type of power and control.

Can you describe what about this control you're concerned with?

 

[DaveRivera]

Perfect. I will be opting in. Definitely would like to know my exposure.

 

[planteater]

They say this will not be mandatory. But that will prove to be false. Employers in various essential industries will start to make it a requirement of employment. From there others that employ people that deal with the public. You WILL be using it or some derivative of it in the future or you will be an outcast. No need for the government to mandate it, they can claim you are free to not use it or whatever it morphs to in the future.

 

[tuckerjj]

Welp, I guess Apple won’t be agreeing to the French government’s requests anytime soon then.

 

[FreakyT]

The fact of the matter is, this kind of thing is necessary if you want society to reopen without waiting the full 12-18 months for a vaccine. Apple, at least, really seems to be making an effort to ensure that the tech is as private and randomized as possible to minimize the possibility of misuse.

 

[Rocko99991]

Also, please make extra copies of your house keys and leave them on the doorstep. Apple will be coming by to pick them up and will be doing well being checks at random times. This is for your own safety of course.

 

[Saipher]

No thanks, this is like opening Pandora’s Box. Once it gets accepted it will not be able to be reigned in, just look at the track record of governments that push for this type of power and control.

Exposure notification ... new world order speech

Also, please make extra copies of your house keys and leave them on the doorstep. Apple will be coming by to pick them up and do a well being checks at random times. This is for your own safety of course.

I love how people are willing to give up privacy on social media, by having a gmail account, or to avoid traffic, but not so much to avoid death, go figure...

 

[code-m]

Can you describe what about this control you're concerned with?

For example For this to be effective, 80% of the population in the geographical area have to participate.

Let’s use a country for example:

France that has it’s population install it on 80% or more. Now if any of its citizens travel to another country it will be challenging to know if that person has come into contact with an asymptomatic or infected person(s). Then this person returns to France and the system still see this person as not a carrier, unless there is testing antigen and antibody done upon arrival at the point of entry (land, air or sea) and a medical professional enters the results on the local device and a central database for France.

There are other problems such as citizens abuse where this may lead to an oppressive mindset, possibility of hacking, false reporting, etc. Who will be in charge of this data, for how long, will it be abused by other parties, etc. How does a country track billions of people in a dense metropolitan area and send out notifications, this is near impossible and I work in this space.

On an isolated island with a limited population it may work but that also means that no one can enter (tourism) or leave considering the country being visited does not have this system in place, uses a different reporting method or due to international privacy laws are unable to disclose persons information. It can be sold and marketed as “anonymized” but there are enough pieces of breadcrumbs to paint an accurate profile. Do not fall for this oppressive smoke and mirrors for your health and safety as fear is being used as the motive for wide acceptance by the public.

 

[Williesleg]

Aaand no more smartphones for me.

 

[now i see it]

when this thing goes live- there's going to be scores of people cowering in their homes for 14 day isolation stretches after they get ONE notification that someone they passed somewhere several days ago now is sick.

That'll keep people in their homes

 

[MikhailT]

They say this will not be mandatory. But that will prove to be false. Employers in various essential industries will start to make it a requirement of employment. From there others that employ people that deal with the public. You WILL be using it or some derivative of it in the future or you will be an outcast. No need for the government to mandate it, they can claim you are free to not use it or whatever it morphs to in the future.

Okay, and? These requirements are already in place. A lot of companies and governments already require you to use their specific devices, private networks, work badges, etc that already tracks what you're doing.

You're not entitled to any privacy at work, you're there to do your job at the employer's place, their resources and their expenses. You're not to use work hours to do personal stuff in any situations.

 

[code-m]

I love how people are willing to give up privacy on social media, by having a gmail account, or to avoid traffic, but not so much to avoid death, go figure...

Let’s look at the estimated numbers of death here.

Remember these are from official sources and estimated but even the infection rate for SAR-CoV-2 will drop as some countries do not report asymptomatic cases, many not tested and error rates of tests etc.

May I interest you to live in an authoritarian regime nation for the rest of your days on this planet. Thank you for volunteering if you take up this offer and report to us how safe and healthy you are along with free speech you have been blessed with.

Your assumption that people use Gmail or Google is pathetic.

 

[iapplelove]

Great! Can’t wait to not use this!

 

[code-m]

Good day friend, which authoritative nation do you visit MR forum from.

 

[surfsofa]

I'd rather this than 100% lockdown. Bring it on!

 

[itsmilo]

Still makes no sense to me. Unless you are about to drop dead, you are not getting tested here and by the time you may finally get a test, surely there is no way to trace back who you were in contact with anymore or they themselves have already been in contact with others. It’s not like anything of this gives instant results 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

[code-m]

Yep, talk about paranoia along with disruption to business, economy, etc.

If only employers were so understanding when people had other disease prior to this virus. Nope people still socialized because it is manageable risk, you live on planet earth. If you want to be safe live in a bubble, oops I forgot there are inherent risks with that option too.

Your fear is what is imprisoning your life, death may be the only option to be free but then you would fear how you die too so there we have it.

 

[temptee]

Thats gonna be a no from me dawg

 

[pauloregan]

This will induce paranoia at a level only previously known to conspiracy theorists.

 

[arvinsim]

Corporations essentially have the equivalent power of nations nowadays.

I mean if the two corporations that compose the mobile duopoly agree on imposing things, who is to say no to them?

 

[SDJim]

I like the changes, but this still just seems like a terribly unsettling precedent.

 

[code-m]

Perfect. I will be opting in. Definitely would like to know my exposure.

We as humans have always been exposed to pathogens this is a hypochondriac symptom, conditioning and society. Get ready for the AppleWatch app coming soon.