Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
Ryan contracts COVID-19, confirms his diagnosis in the app, and consents to upload all of the identifiers his phone has used for the last two weeks (including 12486) to a central server accessible by Eric's COVID-19 app. At this point, Ryan's identifier is shared with a central database, but these random identifier numbers are not associated with any personal information and don't include location data.
Is this random identifier 12486 time-stamped on the central server? Or does the server only get a list of all random identifiers created by Ryan’s phone over the last 14 days? Which would mean the information that Eric was exposed on Friday would only be generated on Eric’s phone. And if it is the OS via the API that is generating that Friday time window, than even the app on Eric‘a phone wouldn’t know which identifier created that match.
 

hourglass111

macrumors member
Jan 26, 2017
45
117
Mid Ohio Valley
1988 called and wants their fear mongering back. (picture I took of Magic Johnson from November 2019)

View attachment 911208

Did I miss something? Doesn’t HIV have to be managed for the person to be okay? This is why I said “death sentence on maintenir.” I saw news that HIV/AIDS may have been cured in 1 or 2 cases, but not sure where that went.

Regardless, kudos to misinterpreting what I’m saying. I’m not afraid of getting HIV just as I’m not of getting COVID. I just don’t need a tracking system to mitigate my fear nor endorse the safety of myself and others. It would seem to me that those who feel safer with this inappropriate techno-societal precedent (topped with a vaccine), are the ones living from fear and its mongering.

EDIT: Just saw my typo of not including the word “sentence” after death. Will correct, sorry for any misinterpretation from that.
 

jimthing

macrumors 68000
Apr 6, 2011
1,986
1,156
UK NHSX app here... oh, we're using something else, so this story is already entirely irrelevant to us here.
Oh well, never mind, hey! :rolleyes:
 

xxray

macrumors 68040
Jul 27, 2013
3,065
9,278
The only thing I’m confused about is, if this is supposed to be decentralized, why do I have to use an app from a “verified health authority” to get it to work? Doesn’t that lead to privacy implications?
 

manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
I’m not afraid of getting HIV just as I’m not of getting COVID. I just don’t need a tracking system to mitigate my fear nor endorse the safety of myself and others.
(a) Are you afraid somebody you love might get COVID19?
(b) Are you afraid the shutdowns, that will be more prolonged and severe if contact tracing is less extensive, will affect you or somebody you love negatively?
 

sjpb15

macrumors newbie
Jan 5, 2004
6
25
I don't get it - how does this help? Near the end of their scenario it says, "allowing everyone to better monitor for potential exposure". But then what? If this system alerts me what am I supposed to do - stay away from all humans for 2 or 3 days? And then what? What exactly are we (society) gaining by this? What am I missing?
 

Daveoc64

macrumors 601
Jan 16, 2008
4,075
95
Bristol, UK
The only thing I’m confused about is, if this is supposed to be decentralized, why do I have to use an app from a “verified health authority” to get it to work? Doesn’t that lead to privacy implications?

The health authority part is needed to verify that someone has actually tested positive for the virus.

It also then helps provide the correct advice to the person using the app, as that will obviously vary across the world.
 

xxray

macrumors 68040
Jul 27, 2013
3,065
9,278
The health authority part is needed to verify that someone has actually tested positive for the virus.

It also then helps provide the correct advice to the person using the app, as that will obviously vary across the world.

Would my identify, location, and all of the other things kept private in the technology still be kept private even through the health authority app?
 
  • Like
Reactions: temptee

Daveoc64

macrumors 601
Jan 16, 2008
4,075
95
Bristol, UK
I don't get it - how does this help? Near the end of their scenario it says, "allowing everyone to better monitor for potential exposure". But then what? If this system alerts me what am I supposed to do - stay away from all humans for 2 or 3 days? And then what? What exactly are we (society) gaining by this? What am I missing?

One of the most effective ways to stop the virus spreading, is to trace people who have recently come into contact with a person that has tested positive for the virus.

This is a labour intensive process, and doesn't scale too well. An app would make it possible for this whole process to be automated. Doing it manually involves contacting family, friends, colleagues, people you sat next to on the train etc.

The procedure for anyone who has come into contact with someone that has tested positive will vary by region, but in most cases, it will involve self-isolating at home for the recommended period of time.

Having effective contact tracing methods in place is one of the best ways to ease "lockdown" rules.
 

phenste

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2012
646
1,807
I will not have my phone pinging me just because someone else has gotten sick. If I get sick, I’ll take appropriate measures. But I’m not walking around waiting to get pinged. In high density areas like a city, you’ll be at risk for getting more pings about COVID than texts from friends and colleagues.

To me, this is simply obnoxious; but imagine the people who already can’t handle anxiety or mainstream fear paranoia, how will they do with being pinged about their potential acute death sentence multiple times a day?

Furthermore, unless I end up in hospital from symptoms, I won’t be pursuing a COVID test because of how haphazardly it’s assumed I should suddenly be tracked. That’s a big NO. I was not opposed to getting tested until seeing how a positive test suddenly comes with all of these assumptions and implied actions to take next.

All of this is a red flag setting precedent for worse things. In the other thread I used the example of HIV/AIDS. That’s something that “should” have contact tracing, yet it does not. So far we can statistically say that people recover from COVID. Not so with HIV, which is a death on maintenance. So I find this COVID tracking supremely suspicious.

If you’ve got no problem with this, then get ahead of the curve you’re flattening and imagine a future where you’re pinged for passing a stranger with COVID … then passing one with HIV … then passing one with Herpes … etc. It’s all inappropriate.

The violation of privacy is not with the data (which I applaud Apple for handling well), but with the idea of allowing our health to be broadcast and allowing our personal devices invaded with pings from those who willy-nilly broadcast their health out of some noble sense of saving the world.

It would honestly make more sense to have no privacy and share everyone’s contact info. That way if you, Person Who Supports Tracking, pass me and get me sick, then I can sue your insurance to cover my healthcare to get sick. How does that sound? Just like with a car accident.

After all, contacting COVID and ending up in hospital in the US is more likely a financial death sentence than an actual death sentence. Statistically speaking, anyway.

This exposure notification (let’s get it right, this is important) is for a singular, incredibly novel virus with a large number of silent carriers, no vaccine guaranteed, and treatment options for those already sick still heavily under research. Using the HIV/AIDS parallel is borderline offensive. That’s a virus (in the case of HIV) for which testing and treatment is widely available, after fighting for a long time for such.

The logic that this is going to bleed into other aspects of our lives falls apart when you realize this is an interim solution for the aforementioned novelties of this virus, particularly in how it spreads. The same virus could barely cause any symptoms for one person and they could experience a full recovery, but they pass another before realizing they’re sick, that person catches it, and without any proper next steps taken, they’re dead. This API allows for those “next steps” to be taken in an extremely prompt fashion, if done properly. The identifiers are anonymous, no matter how many people on here don’t think that’s possible (conspiracy, plain and simple); getting sued for healthcare costs is really not a concern here.

We are lucky to have this, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones. With the way these APIs are built, there is no “permanent” opt-in. Turn the switch off, delete the app. Believing this won’t effectively get rid of everything related to exposure notification on one’s phone is, again, pure conspiracy. (This forum is no stranger to that though.)

This isn’t about some noble sense of saving the world. For many, who are either high-risk themselves or live with high-risk people (or both), this is about genuine self-protection and the protection of loved ones.

P.S.—with respect to mental health, the idea that someone’s anxiety over getting these pings all the time is enough reason for them to turn it off is ludicrous. If they’re getting that many pings, they need to stay at home.
 

manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
The only thing I’m confused about is, if this is supposed to be decentralized, why do I have to use an app from a “verified health authority” to get it to work? Doesn’t that lead to privacy implications?
Two reasons at the top of my head:
  1. You need a gatekeeper to prevent people from falsely claiming they’ve tested positive. This gatekeeper is the verified health authority, the app is the vehicle for them to communicate with the API.
  2. As the situation develops and we learn more about the virus, the thresholds to trigger an exposure notification will need to be tweaked. Again this is done via the app whose precise workings the verified health authorities control. For example, when testing capacities in one country improve, they might want to lower this threshold.
[automerge]1588353181[/automerge]
I already stayed at home for 2 months, thanks Italy. Don't need any more nanny state or liberal companies trashing my privacy and rights.

Yes I read the specs. Yes I read the full article. No, no way I will willingly give up God given rights.
So you willingly gave up your God given right of moving around but this anonymous exposure tracking is worse so you rather stay home for longer?
 
Last edited:

Daveoc64

macrumors 601
Jan 16, 2008
4,075
95
Bristol, UK
Would my identify, location, and all of the other things kept private in the technology still be kept private even through the health authority app?

Accorsing to the article, the health app will be able to tell how long you were in contact with the person that tested positive, and how far away from them you were.

This can be used to work out how much of a risk you were exposed to, so the app can give you better advice.
 

manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
Going to be a hard pass for me. It's simply too creepy. Along with drones in parks telling people to separate and being told no to go outside, wearing masks mandatory. That world is just too creepy for me to accept as the new normal. I just have pictures in my mind of the government coming to my house and treating me like E.T.
If you compare the unemployment rate in the U.S. and South Korea, are you sure you prefer the land of the free’s approach?
[automerge]1588353529[/automerge]
Thanks, but no thanks. I dont want to be a part of this fascicist surveillance program. I want my ******* rights back.
What about you pay a tax to finance the unemployment benefits of those laid off due to the crisis as an alternative to allowing this contact tracing and wearing a mask? Tell me which option you prefer.
 
Last edited:

hourglass111

macrumors member
Jan 26, 2017
45
117
Mid Ohio Valley
Please - given that you've read the article and so presumably understand how this thing works: which of your God-given rights are you giving up?

Once again, the issue is not how it works. Apple has done a good job with privacy as they always do.

The issue is the ideology of allowing this, what it entails in the present, and what it could entail in the future.

Also, the person you’re quoting wants to make this a liberal issue, but I am non-conservative/progressive and see the issues in this clearly.

The right that’s being surrendered (or implied it should be surrendered): the ability to live independently of others, and at least to not have my phone ping others of my life nor broadcast an aspect of my life to others’ phones. It’s optional and opt-in now, but this is the precedent Big Brother wet dreams are made of.

(a) Are you afraid somebody you love might get COVID19?
(b) Are you afraid the shutdowns, that will be more prolonged and severe if contact tracing is less extensive, will affect you or somebody you love negatively?

Concerned, not afraid.

Concern is productive. It means I encourage people to up their vitamin D as that appears to be a major predisposition to getting COVID. (I saw today that Europe was doing a study.) If a person is not confident in having basic health, then I encourage them to take precautions.

Having had a severe chronic D deficiency and several other health issues, I’ve been mindful. But concern and mindfulness is not cause for an inappropriate precedent.

If this were the bubonic plague? Okay. Track me and everyone else. But it isn’t, it’s just being hyped up that it is.

Again again again, I’d be more concerned if someone I love got HIV because that’s a lifetime of management (as far as I’m aware; waiting to be corrected).

I also have an aunt with lupus who still has a flip phone. Neither concern nor fear nor Big Brother precedent is going to help her save herself and the world with some noble yet suspicious tracking API/agenda. Only her mindfulness and supporting her baseline of health will, and ultimately that’s all that will help any of us.
 

fronesis

macrumors regular
Oct 1, 2012
102
58
I understand that people have legitimate privacy concerns.

But the people who can't seem to grasp that use of this technology is NOT about YOU.

It's about the parents and grandparents of EVERYONE posting on this board, and everyone in the world.


It is your right and your decision to turn off this tracking software. But if you do that, and you then spread the virus in a way that's untraceable (which is highly like, since so many young people get the virus and remain asymptomatic), you will directly contribute to killing more people.

So the tradeoff is: run the risk of your privacy being compromise in order to save lives, or protect your privacy and risk your actions contributing directly to more deaths.

If people weigh that tradeoff and decide to turn off this technology, then I can kind of understand that. But don't for a second think that this choice is just about your health, your privacy, or your choices. If you choose not to use this software, you increase the chances that you yourself will infect more people and contribute to more deaths.
 

temptee

macrumors member
Apr 8, 2020
37
99
US and A
If this happened 10-15 years ago people would be freaking out even more then they are now about the privacy implications... but 10-15 years of bamboozling us into steadily giving our data away willingly via social engineering has softened the effect.

The younger generation is especially apathetic because they were born into this mentality. It's been normalized for them by their parents and the social landscape they helped build through their utter disinterest in whether the "progress" they were witnessing was actually progress at all (thank you to the Jersey Shore/Myspace generation).

They know not what they are giving up... but hey look at these cool Animoji's, isn't Apple awesome!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.