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

[iLoveDeveloping]

I don’t know what all the big deal is about. If you don’t want it don’t download it! Simple. Stop complaining. I think it’s a great idea and will be using it the day it’s out. I actually thought this would be a cool app a few weeks ago (I used to be a dev).

Don’t like it, don’t use it. It’s OPTIONAL. Get over your self important opinions on why “big brother and Orwellian fiction” are going to come and take over the world. It’s just AN APP for god sake.... Chill!

 

[code-m]

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.

What if you don’t have a mobile phone, are you going to be forced to purchase one for employment. Is a phone going to be provided to you. What happens if you activate airplane mode, forget to charge it, liquid damage, phone falls on the ground and breaks, disrupt or shield any signals to and from the phone, etc.
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I don’t know what all the big deal is about. If you don’t want it don’t download it! Simple. Stop complaining. I think it’s a great idea and will be using it the day it’s out. I actually thought this would be a cool app a few weeks ago (I used to be a dev).

Don’t like it, don’t use it. It’s OPTIONAL. Get over your self important opinions on why “big brother and Orwellian fiction” are going to come and take over the world. It’s just AN APP for god sake.... Chill!

Facebook is also “JUST AN APP” they say.

 

[larrylaffer]

If only they could work this hard together on a unified messaging platform. iMessage for all!

 

[itsmilo]

I don’t know what all the big deal is about. If you don’t want it don’t download it! Simple. Stop complaining. I think it’s a great idea and will be using it the day it’s out. I actually thought this would be a cool app a few weeks ago (I used to be a dev).

Don’t like it, don’t use it. It’s OPTIONAL. Get over your self important opinions on why “big brother and Orwellian fiction” are going to come and take over the world. It’s just AN APP for god sake.... Chill!

you just said it, since it’s optional it’s just pointless. Let’s say 1 of 10 opts-in, but 9 people don’t. How is that gonna help

 

[NMBob]

Huh. Apple piped into Google.

 

[Rocko99991]

you just said it, since it’s optional it’s just pointless. Let’s say 1 of 10 opts-in, but 9 people don’t. How is that gonna help

It starts out as opt in/out, then it will be required.

 

[GtrDude]

This is ridiculous.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

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.

Right, so we should better use the government apps that unlike Apples and googles solution actually is a huge privacy nightmare? Apple and google put a lot of efforts into building privacy into this.

So rather than complaining at them you should thank them, because first and foremost it will allow for exposure tracing without compromising on privacy, but also -and that is very important- will reveal the true intentions of the governments... i.e. any government insisting on their own centralized database rather than using this API does apparently have other interests.

 

[code-m]

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.

If you look back upon this virus it was Governments, Public Health and Media that caused a panic. Most people lived their lives without disruption until the prior three chimed in. Lack of PPE, ICU beds, ventilators, meds. Is this the responsibility of the low wage average worker. In a single word “incompetence”.
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Right, so we should better use the government apps that unlike Apples and googles solution actually is a huge privacy issues? Apple and google put a lot of efforts into building privacy into this.

So rather than complaining at them you should thank them, because first and foremost it will allow for exposure tracing without compromising on privacy, but also -and that is very important- will reveal the true intentions of the governments... i.e. any government insisting on their own centralized database rather than using this API does apparently have other interests.

Hold on you actually believe that big tech and data companies do not share any data about its users, wow just wow no words can explain your naivety.
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Correct, they will push the narrative how effective it is in curbing the curve and we are mandating it without opt-in, plus free mobile phones for all with 5G basic access so we can track your every movement of your life. No thanks.

 

[TooMuchPhone]

I miss the days when apple virtue signaling was about diversity and the environment

 

[bobbie424242]

If people willingly embrace this massively (super unlikely), then humanity has failed and deserve no privacy.
Just say no to tracing, whatever the reason it is used for.
Tracing is the concept of "There's an app for that" pushed too far.

 

[BC2009]

They've done a solid job of addressing the privacy concerns here -- way more than most (all?) governments have thought to do.

I appreciate Apple pushing back on government privacy over-reach. In fact I find it funny when congress simultaneously demands that Apple and Google prove the privacy of new features and then also demands they put backdoors into phone encryption. Apple seems to be the champion of providing privacy while still giving us technology that improves our lives.

I know lots of conspiracy theorists on this forum will keep wearing their tin foil hats to keep the aliens and Big Brother from intercepting their thoughts and there is no way they are going to opt in for this. But viewing this transparent architecture makes it pretty clear that the only person who is going to know who you have been near is you.

Heck, anybody who uses GPS navigation on their phone is giving some app access to their location for an extended period and there is not much uproar over that. And people take that privacy risk for the convenience of not using paper maps. This is way way way more secure from a privacy perspective than GPS nav.

My only concern here is how Google is going to deploy this to older low-end Android phones. Can they push an update like this through Google Play Services?

 

[itsmilo]

It starts out as opt in/out, then it will be required.

i can’t even see it being allowed in the EU. My government has been trying and fighting for weeks to implement an App on their own.Now imagine a US company coming in

 

[BC2009]

If people willingly embrace this massively (super unlikely), then humanity has failed and deserve no privacy.
Just say no to tracing, whatever the reason it is used for.

I hear there is a sale on tin foil hats on Amazon right now.

 

[code-m]

While many companies do require its employees to use an access badge to enter/exit the workplace and some require workstation login, I am not aware that companies require its employees to swipe to use the restroom, break areas or common areas. There is a fine line and most employees would not accept it. In fact most employers do not want employees to expose they work entry cards in public due to security and safety.

 

[BC2009]

i can’t even see it being allowed in the EU. My government has been trying and fighting for weeks to implement an App on their own.Now imagine a US company coming in

Which government? Most government efforts so far in this area have been completely devoid of privacy protections (e.g.: Singapore, France, UK) and require you to leave the app open and running on your phone because they cannot leverage BLE while the app is not active (for privacy reasons). This seems to be the quick path to implementation and privacy with no battery issues.

 

[luvbug]

Mobile device = your personal tracking, surveillance, and gov't overreach device - personal in that *you* are the target, with custom NSA tweaks just for you!

Apple just killed the mobile connected device market for anyone with an ounce of concern for their personal freedom.

 

[bobbie424242]

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

Any tracing app is DOA in France anyway, whether using this tech or not.
It it ever see the light of day, it will flop HARD.
The only way to not have it flop hard is to become China.

 

[BC2009]

Facebook is also “JUST AN APP” they say.

Straw men are just "straw men" they say.

Facebook essentially has a non-privacy policy where you consent to give them a boatload of information.

If you read the architecture of this you are giving up zero personal information and nothing that can identify you -- just an anonymous handle whereby you can later be notified if you choose to be.

 

[twinlight]

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.

Would not be surprised with a watch app that understands your handshake with someone else’s and that close proximity of the two Watches.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

The only device I have on the latest version of iOS 13 is my iPad and it never leaves my house. My iPhone X is on 12.4.1 permanently so this won't be something that I'll be participating in

 

[mannyvel]

This is going to have marginal utility.

Large employers are going to require testing to enter the building/facility.
Immune or vaccinated people will get some kind of electronic gate pass.
People that test negative will get a day pass and be tested when they leave and re-enter the facility, and be forced to wear a mask.

This is going to be the new normal until all the high-risk patients and the general public have been vaccinated.

Contact tracing is only useful if you have rapid testing available, and a centralized way to receive results. In this pandemic it's too little, too late. It might be useful for the next virus though.

 

[iReality85]

Ah yes, the old "if something's controversial, just call it something else" trick and hope the sheep don't figure it out.

 

[StevieD100]

You're not entitled to any privacy at work,

Err... Do you tell your boss about what went on in your bedroom the night before?
You are entitled to keep your private life private when at work. What you do in your non work hours (As long as it is isn't illegal) is nothing to do with your boss.

 

[code-m]

Straw men are just "straw men" they say.

Facebook essentially has a non-privacy policy where you consent to give them a boatload of information.

If you read the architecture of this you are giving up zero personal information and nothing that can identify you -- just an anonymous handle whereby you can later be notified if you choose to be.

That is how it starts to not alarm people into accepting things. Later it changes and people either forget or are busy with their life like normal people. I work in this industry and I can assure you there is nothing “anonymous” about this.

Permit me to provide you an example. Let say this app provides you an “anonymous identifier” for sake of an example it is 19XYM05. Now let say you interact with another with an identifier 15CDR03. That “anonymous Identifier” becomes your ID and every cell phone region your cross, every wifi network you ping, every other person you come into contact with will be collected for this to work and for “them” to send you a notification. Apple already knows who you are with AppleID, device ID, etc and now this. Hacks happen and no company is perfect look at the recent reported Apple iOS Mail.app vulnerability. Remember it does not matter who the company is or what their market, humans make mistakes with software and hardware this is not a silver bullet. Now collect all the prior mentioned data along with what the cell phone carriers have and what doctor you visit to get this information entered and it is not hard to piece together all these breadcrumbs and have a 70% or higher accurate picture of the user. I am not even going to mention the problem of tracking and notifying a dense population in a busy city. Remember 5G will contribute to this and is not a mistake as to the wide rollout to make tracking easier.