Canada's 'COVID Alert' App Using Apple's Exposure Notification API Now Available

[MacRumors]

Canada today released a new COVID-19 contact tracing app called COVID Alert, as noted by iPhone in Canada. COVID Alert takes advantage of Apple and Google's privacy-focused Exposure Notification API to alert people when they've come into contact with someone who has the coronavirus.

As with all COVID-19 contact tracing apps, COVID Alert uses Bluetooth to exchange random, anonymized codes with nearby phones, determining how close someone is by the strength of the Bluetooth signal.

If someone with COVID Alert tests positive for the virus, they can opt to enter that information into the app, and each person they've been in contact with will then receive an alert. COVID Alert collects no location information or personally identifiable data, and was built by Health Canada with the Canadian Digital Service.

COVID Alert has no way of knowing:

- your location - COVID Alert does not use GPS or location services
- your name or address
- the place or time you were near someone
- if you're currently near someone who was previously diagnosed

According to the app's description, provincial and territorial governments are working to support COVID Alert across Canada, and in some places, people can't yet report a COVID-19 diagnosis. At the current time, health authorities in Ontario are distributing one-time keys to people who are diagnosed with the coronavirus, and other territories and provinces will be "coming on board soon."

Even though the system is still rolling out in some areas, Canada recommends all Canadians install the app, which can be downloaded from the iOS App Store. iOS 13 is required for Exposure Notification apps, as iOS 14 does not support the API. [Direct Link]

Multiple countries have built apps using the Exposure Notification API so far, including Switzerland, Latvia, Italy, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Croatia, and Denmark.

Several U.S. states are working on apps that use the API, including Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina, but no contact tracing apps that take advantage of the tool have been released in the United States to date.

Article Link: Canada's 'COVID Alert' App Using Apple's Exposure Notification API Now Available

 

[madmin]

"COVID Alert has no way of knowing"

Not strictly true unless you also protect your DNS queries. Pretty certain than any self-respecting member of the 5 eyes has access to any open DNS queries. The good news is that thanks to work by Tommy Pauly (etc) at Apple, protecting your DNS on iOS is probably going to become easier for non-technical users.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

Will this work for people in the USA? Anyone recommend a good one like this for US Users?

 

[ViDeOmAnCiNi]

Sure wish there was just a universal COVID-19 tracing APP that you can install and use anywhere in the world. Since it's all bluetooth talking it should be limited to the people you come into contact with in your area. USA is way behind on these types of apps. like asked above, maybe can be used generically?

 

[Cubsfan]

Has there been any news on the effectiveness of these? I know several countries implemented them, but I haven't seen any results.

 

[mfbergann]

I'm in Ontario and it's not working on my iPhone running iOS 14. The COVID-19 Exposure Logging setting doesn't allow me to turn it on, citing "Not available in your region".

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I'm in Ontario and it's not working on my iPhone running iOS 14. The COVID-19 Exposure Logging setting doesn't allow me to turn it on, citing "Not available in your region".

This is why:

Even though the system is still rolling out in some areas, Canada recommends all Canadians install the app, which can be downloaded from the iOS App Store. iOS 13 is required for Exposure Notification apps, as iOS 14 does not support the API.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

Sure wish there was just a universal COVID-19 tracing APP that you can install and use anywhere in the world. Since it's all bluetooth talking it should be limited to the people you come into contact with in your area. USA is way behind on these types of apps. like asked above, maybe can be used generically?

I agree. I hope someone knows of one for the USA. I actually downloaded this one and when it asked what providence I am in, I hit "prefer not to say". I'm thinking as long as it uses Apple's API, it should work? I can't see why it wouldn't.

 

[vailMike]

i miss the old days when it was just assumed USA as a world leader would have this app and we could advise other countries on improving their communication/health/recovery. So sad having to read through the list of countries that have implemented the Apple/Google API and not seeing USA as one of them as our death toll for COVID keeps rising and now is over 150k people.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Does anyone know if there is one for Washington state?

 

[Yr Blues]

Hard pass. Just more fear-porn.

 

[itsmilo]

According to the experience in Germany, the API still has quite some bugs like background refresh not working properly unless you open the app manually once per day

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I agree. I hope someone knows of one for the USA. I actually downloaded this one and when it asked what providence I am in, I hit "prefer not to say". I'm thinking as long as it uses Apple's API, it should work? I can't see why it wouldn't.

No. Apple has specified that only governments can make these apps, and that the apps can only be distributed to the citizens of the same territory as the government.

If Apple didn't have a monopoly on iOS app distribution, we could have a global app made that simply works for everyone. But the fanbois here will insist that Apple doesn't have a monopoly, or even if they admit the monopoly, that the additional security from viruses is worth it.

So basically, we've allowed everyone to get an actual virus that kills people so that iOS can be even more free of viruses than MacOS (which is well known for how many viruses it has.)

 

[swiftRabbit]

Long live the queen!

 

[The Stig]

I'm in Ontario and it's not working on my iPhone running iOS 14. The COVID-19 Exposure Logging setting doesn't allow me to turn it on, citing "Not available in your region".

Same for me in New Brunswick. I'm going to get my wife to see if it works on her iPhone X on iOS 13

 

[gk4]

Hard pass. Just more fear-porn.

You're afraid of an app that literally does nothing but sit in the background and log BT ID's of devices you've come in contact with. I think the fear porn is coming from the people who are against this app.

 

[swiftRabbit]

Same for me in New Brunswick. I'm going to get my wife to see if it works on her iPhone X on iOS 13

The API for exposure notifications is not available on iOS 14 yet, so it is to be expected.

 

[gk4]

"COVID Alert has no way of knowing"

Not strictly true unless you also protect your DNS queries. Pretty certain than any self-respecting member of the 5 eyes has access to any open DNS queries. The good news is that thanks to work by Tommy Pauly (etc) at Apple, protecting your DNS on iOS is probably going to become easier for non-technical users.

Which one of those things are you referring to? It might be possible to gain some of that info if your were spying on DNS queries, but there are multiple things on there that you couldn't get from DNS queries. For example, a list of people you were near. There's no way a DNS query could obtain that info as it isn't even being send anywhere. It lives on your phone.

 

[torontotim]

Hard pass. Just more fear-porn.

Yup - clearly the 'no mask, no worries, this is all a hoax' approach is working wonders in the US.

 

[bobbie424242]

     D
   D O A
D  O A
   A

 

[jicon]

i miss the old days when it was just assumed USA as a world leader would have this app and we could advise other countries on improving their communication/health/recovery. So sad having to read through the list of countries that have implemented the Apple/Google API and not seeing USA as one of them as our death toll for COVID keeps rising and now is over 150k people.

The irony is I think this is one of the only Apple services (Alright, Google has some input on this one as well) where something is available outside the USA first. Things like iTunes, Apple Pay, ECG, etc were(are) a bit of a waiting game for quite a few people.

The one concerning piece is the slow uptake of similar apps in Europe, thus negating its effectiveness for the most part... but one more bit of help, the better. Now just need to get this working on iOS14 beta...

 

[torontotim]

"COVID Alert has no way of knowing"

Not strictly true unless you also protect your DNS queries. Pretty certain than any self-respecting member of the 5 eyes has access to any open DNS queries. The good news is that thanks to work by Tommy Pauly (etc) at Apple, protecting your DNS on iOS is probably going to become easier for non-technical users.

I frankly don't care if it knows my shoe size and color of my underwear. Privacy disappeared decades ago. If you're connected, you're public. Don't take pictures you don't want to be seen by anyone, don't type emails or texts you don't want to be read by the world.

 

[dannyyankou]

Will this work for people in the USA? Anyone recommend a good one like this for US Users?

I assume you can’t even download it in the US App Store. Each state will have to release they’re own app, and only a few states have said so far that they’ll participate with the Exposure API. It’s been a disorganized mess.

 

[madmin]

Which one of those things are you referring to? It might be possible to gain some of that info if your were spying on DNS queries, but there are multiple things on there that you couldn't get from DNS queries. For example, a list of people you were near. There's no way a DNS query could obtain that info as it isn't even being send anywhere. It lives on your phone.

The DNS is one of the most significant leaks of data about an individuals activity on the Internet. That includes your location as well as those around you. The IETF have published various RFCs that document that everything you do online leaks to the DNS. For more information see dnsprivacy.org

 

[iStorm]

I assume you can’t even download it in the US App Store. Each state will have to release they’re own app, and only a few states have said so far that they’ll participate with the Exposure API. It’s been a disorganized mess.

Exactly. My state probably won't even make their own as they're recommending us to use the app developed by another state.