Google and Apple Are Testing US Contact Tracing Apps

Google and Apple Are Testing US Contact Tracing Apps

According to Google, 20 US states and territories are testing contact tracing apps for the Coronavirus. The apps were developed using tools created by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, with Apple Inc.
The US would be one of the 17 countries and regions that had launched apps using Google and Apple’s contact tracing toolkit. The countries include Canada, Northern Ireland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Uruguay, and many more.
How the Tracing App Works
The technology developed by Google and Apple uses Bluetooth signals to track the user’s encounters with other people. The application would notify contacts if the user has been infected with the Coronavirus.
Google had previously announced in May that Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina would be the first three states to launch the apps. However, lawmakers had halted the launch.
Last Friday, Google said the first apps would be released soon but did not name any state. It also announced that after the partnership with Apple the corporations have enabled apps that check users even when they go to other states or countries.
The announcement coincided with the launch of Northern Ireland’s app which can check users in Ireland, making it the first to enable tracing across borders. The UK has also announced its switch to an app based on the Apple-Google tool, leaving behind its National Health Service (NHS) contact-tracing app. The former is favored because it allows for more anonymity and privacy.
Is Tracing Effective?
Countries like Germany and Ireland, which have been using contact tracing apps, have praised its success. However, it is still unclear whether the app is effective in warning people that could be infected with the Coronavirus.
Privacy is another concern regarding the use of tracing apps. On the other hand, apps that are designed to protect the user’s privacy have a downside. It is impossible to gauge its effectiveness.
Furthermore, experts say that for a smartphone-based contact tracing app to work, at least 60% of the population has to use it. Ensuring that everyone adopts it is difficult.
In Singapore, one of the first countries that employed a phone-based contact tracing app, only about 20% of people use it since its launch in March. The country, which has a population of 5 million, still saw a spike in Covid-19 cases. It would be more challenging to apply a similar measure in the US which has more than 331 million people.
 

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