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Old 06-23-20, 02:13 PM  
warriorprincess
 
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From wired on how the apps will work:

These logs don't include any identifying information about you; they use random numerical ID codes that change frequently and get trashed completely once they're older than 14 days (the incubation period for Covid-19).

Based on what we know so far, the apps will be able to log the length of time you've been in contact with each person (or rather each individual phone), and how far away you were, judging from the strength of the Bluetooth signals. Any contact that's less risky (such as briefly passing someone on the street) will be ignored.

If you report yourself as positive for Covid-19, the app will send that record of your rotating IDs to a server, which in turn will send them out to other devices using the system. Anyone who has been nearby in the last two weeks will be pinged with an alert.

==========

If enough people opt it, this would be incredibly effective. Contact tracing now is a manual process, and most people don't know the names of strangers they may have interacted with while infected. They clearly need to do a better job of letting people know that what Apple and Google have done is go to great lengths to make sure their privacy will not be invaded.
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Old 06-24-20, 10:09 PM  
Leonana
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by warriorprincess View Post
From wired on how the apps will work:

These logs don't include any identifying information about you; they use random numerical ID codes that change frequently and get trashed completely once they're older than 14 days (the incubation period for Covid-19).

Based on what we know so far, the apps will be able to log the length of time you've been in contact with each person (or rather each individual phone), and how far away you were, judging from the strength of the Bluetooth signals. Any contact that's less risky (such as briefly passing someone on the street) will be ignored.

If you report yourself as positive for Covid-19, the app will send that record of your rotating IDs to a server, which in turn will send them out to other devices using the system. Anyone who has been nearby in the last two weeks will be pinged with an alert.

==========

If enough people opt it, this would be incredibly effective. Contact tracing now is a manual process, and most people don't know the names of strangers they may have interacted with while infected. They clearly need to do a better job of letting people know that what Apple and Google have done is go to great lengths to make sure their privacy will not be invaded.
Thanks for the info. Effective contact tracing is really needed, I would imagine.
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Old 06-25-20, 10:29 AM  
Rivercat
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I just got a new phone Monday (Android) so have been downloading and updating all kinds of things and yep, the app is right there at the top of the list under Google services.

After reading through the info on how it works, it requires that your local health organization have an app for it to exchange information, as well your location and Bluetooth to be on all the time. I usually have Bluetooth on for my headset and car, but hardly ever use location because it eats up battery life and ... well, not going many new places these days.

What I'm not clear about is who decided to make these apps in the first place. The BBC article just says "tech giants," which is quite vague. The idea that Google and Apple had a meeting and went ahead with this without telling anyone is extremely weird and creepy. I work in Silicon Valley and these companies are not big on collaboration.
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Old 06-25-20, 01:39 PM  
wnt2bfirm
 
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Yes, it was in the update. I saw a warning about it in social media and made sure the automatic update was turned off on my phone. I do not consent.


Quote:
Originally Posted by anetta View Post
I don't know how I feel about it either, I did do an update last week I wonder if it was added then.

I should really check my settings more often, I feel it does invade my privacy but I could see some advantages I guess.

Anita
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Old 06-26-20, 12:04 PM  
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Kind of creepy that it took an article to tell us it had been placed. Makes you wonder what else they have hidden or will place in the future. They should require notification!
.
100% agree
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Old 06-26-20, 12:46 PM  
kathym
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Not a fan of an app that I did not approve be installed on a device that I paid for.
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Old 06-26-20, 01:12 PM  
cataddict
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kathym View Post
Not a fan of an app that I did not approve be installed on a device that I paid for.
Kathy, it's not an app, at least not on my iphone. It's a setting. There's a big difference.

Not singling you out for the comments that follow, Kathy, just have a few more things to say on the topic now that I've had a chance to think about it a bit more!

I don't see that it would be a viable option for a provider to notify users of each and every single change in a setting. As long as it is not enabled without my permission or a mandated enabling without my consent, I'm going to wait and see and keep checking. Believe me, I'm the first person to put on my tin foil hat and be paranoid about what Big Brother is doing, but I'm trying to temper that instinct until there is a little more evidence of bad intentions.
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Old 06-26-20, 08:36 PM  
Honeydew
 
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Originally Posted by wnt2bfirm View Post
Yes, it was in the update. I saw a warning about it in social media and made sure the automatic update was turned off on my phone. I do not consent.
How do you turn off automatic updates? I have a samsung jcrown7 if that helps.

I also turned off gps/location and bluetooth since I don't use it. Also, someone told me to turn on airplane mode whenever I go somewhere but not sure what that's for or how it will keep from being tracked.
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Old 06-27-20, 09:55 AM  
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Originally Posted by Honeydew View Post
I also turned off gps/location and bluetooth since I don't use it. Also, someone told me to turn on airplane mode whenever I go somewhere but not sure what that's for or how it will keep from being tracked.
It cuts you off from the cell network, so it will keep your phone from being tracked. It will also prevent you from making or receiving calls, or from using any apps that require a network connection, unless you are somewhere with wifi and have connected to that.

If you are concerned about tracking and hacking, and you don't need to use your phone while you're out, you could just turn it off until you get where you're going. That's almost the same as airplane mode but also saves your battery.
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