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Canada to Launch Nationwide COVID-19 Contact Tracing App Based on Apple/Google Technology

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced that Canada plans to launch a nationwide COVID-19 contract tracing app based on Apple's and Google's Exposure Notification API, as noted by iPhone in Canada. Trudeau said the app is slated for release in early July, with testing set to begin in Ontario soon.

covid-exposure-example-app.jpg
COVID Shield, a reference for public health authorities to build their own apps​

Canada will join a growing list of countries that have committed to using the API, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and others. At least three U.S. states are also adopting the solution.

Built into iOS 13.5 on the Apple side, the API allows iPhones and Android smartphones to interface with one another for contact tracing purposes. If and when you happen to be nearby someone who later tests positive for COVID-19, you can receive a notification and take the appropriate steps to self isolate and seek medical help if necessary.

Apple and Google have stressed the privacy of their Bluetooth-based solution, which must be enabled in the Settings app under Privacy > Health > COVID-19 Exposure Logging to function. Read our Exposure Notification guide for more details.

Article Link: Canada to Launch Nationwide COVID-19 Contact Tracing App Based on Apple/Google Technology
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/18/canada-contract-tracing-app-apple-google-api/
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Aston441 said:
Behind who? Norway?

techcrunch.com

Norway pulls its coronavirus contacts-tracing app after privacy watchdog's warning | TechCrunch

One of the first national coronavirus contacts-tracing apps to be launched in Europe is being suspended in Norway after the country's data protection
techcrunch.com techcrunch.com
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"Canada will join a growing list of countries that have committed to using the API, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and others."
 
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Switzerland, Italy, Latvia, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, UK, Canada, and a growing list of other countries adopting the cross platform API.
Meanwhile coming to select states [1] in the country where the API was built.

[1] Subject to availability and delays.
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Aston441 said:
Behind who? Norway?

techcrunch.com

Norway pulls its coronavirus contacts-tracing app after privacy watchdog's warning | TechCrunch

One of the first national coronavirus contacts-tracing apps to be launched in Europe is being suspended in Norway after the country's data protection
techcrunch.com techcrunch.com
Click to expand...

The Norway app doesn't use this API, instead it uses GPS, like some of the states are trying to do here...
 
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CygnusTC said:
Google & Privacy? Those two words never go together in a sentence!
Click to expand...

I, like you don't trust Google either, but...this is Google AND Apple, don't think Apple would have agreed with this if your privacy is compromised.
So, I am Ok with it this time....but, I wouldn't install an App based on the API for other reasons.
 
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The German exposure notification app was released this Tuesday (iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/corona-warn-app/id1512595757?l=de and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.rki.coronawarnapp).

Since it was developed as open source software, the app and server side code is available on Github (https://github.com/corona-warn-app) and can be used by other countries as long as the reporting systems of their health authorities and the IT systems of laboratories involved in the testing are compatible with the approach.
 
It's unfortunate that we don't have anyone leading the country (US) to have one tracking app. Now, each state will have to decide for themselves if they want to have one or not. Just look at the virus stats today across the country and you can tell there is no one leading the country...very sad.
 
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tzm41 said:
Switzerland, Italy, Latvia, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, UK, Canada, and a growing list of other countries adopting the cross platform API.
Meanwhile coming to select states [1] in the country where the API was built.

[1] Subject to availability and delays.
Click to expand...

UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia are "coming soon", "subject to availability and delays". In fact, UK's app has been scheduled for the fall and they haven't even committed to have contact tracing in by that date.

It's better to use critical thinking, careful reading, and independent research than buying propaganda.
 
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July. Yeesh. Province of Ontario has a nightmare on its hand in terms of contact tracing. This can't come soon enough. But, if I understand, won't do much if a lot of people aren't using this, and their operating system on their phone isn't updated accordingly.
 
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Creating a good COVID tracker is easy — as long as “good” is defined as ”tracks the bug well”. Once you factor in privacy aspects and keep the use voluntary, the task becomes very, very tricky.

The tracker is useful only if most people use it. This is generally true with any contagious disease, but it is especially true with COVID as a large part of infections are spread by few individuals (superspreaders). If a superspreader does not use a tracker, we end up with dozens of untraceable cases per superspreader.

So, we need to make a tracker which does not enable anyone to trace where we have been and whom we have met (privacy), and which would be used by almost everyone. Voluntarily. It is quite hard to see that happen.

When thinking of someone’s motivation to use a tracker, it should be borne in mind that the tracker does not save its user’s life or health, or their family’s life or health. It helps to keep the epidemic in control. If you use the tracker it will give a lot of false alarms, and you risk being (self)quarantined. Tragedy of the commons, and we know how they tend to end up.

Of course, some information is better than no information. However, if one third of people use the tracker, the probability that both someone who gets infected and the person who has spread the infection use the app is approximately one in ten. So, the effect on the reproduction number of the disease is minuscule unless a large number of people use the tracker.

Mandatory trackers are then a completely different story. If we are willing to tell big brother where and with whom we are all the time, it is possible to gain a lot of understanding on the epidemic and keep it in control.

Personally, I think this epidemic can be curbed with smaller sacrifices by other means (ref: many European countries).
 
konqerror said:
UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia are "coming soon", "subject to availability and delays". In fact, UK's app has been scheduled for the fall and they haven't even committed to have contact tracing in by that date.

It's better to use critical thinking, careful reading, and independent research than buying propaganda.
Click to expand...
The UK is only delayed because they tried it their way first — failed — and now are developing it this way. Also, it makes sense to say "coming soon" and "subject to availability and delays" as they are still testing, and developers know that sometimes things come up and bugs gotta be squashed. Not sure what propaganda you are referring to.
 
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