Also discusses similar efforts in France. Would seem this would be very important to determine actual rather than speculated transmission details. Leading to bad decisions via bad data. Determination of real chains of transmission. Else we will be endlessly following wrong leads. Privacy is an issue, but some level of it has to be written off for the benefit of all. Smartphones are excellent sensors for this kind of threat.
Germany gears up for virus tracing app: expert interview in TechExlpore
In early April, the German government announced that it was working on a voluntary smartphone app using Bluetooth to trace possible chains of COVID-19 contagion.
The project has led to some lively discussions in a country where personal privacy is fiercely guarded thanks to the scars of two 20th-century dictatorships.
Chris Boos, the founder of Frankfurt-based artificial intelligence company Arago and a member of the German government's Digital Council, has been helping to develop a software platform for the app.
Q: When will the COVID-19 contact tracing app be available in Germany?
"We will see it launched at the end of April, that seems realistic to me. Everyone wants it as soon as possible, but it has to be tested and certified for security first."
Q: What are some of the key characteristics of the platform?
"Firstly, the system has to be based on the right variable (contact between mobile phone users) to avoid comparing apples with oranges. Secondly, privacy must be protected. No location data is used, nor any data that would identify the phone, such as the SIM card number. And finally, the system has to work internationally, so I can travel freely to countries that use the same platform."
Q: What about privacy concerns?
"From the beginning, we were clear that we did not want to recreate the situation in some Asian countries where people are completely exposed. I don't see a problem as long as we offer a secure alternative that respects data protection laws."
Q: The technology relies on Bluetooth. How can you guarantee its reliability?
"Bluetooth technology can measure the distance between two phones very accurately using radio waves. We can then determine very quickly whether this measurement is epidemiologically relevant—in the simplest case, if the two phones were less than two metres apart for more than 15 minutes."
Q: How can you avoid people declaring themselves sick on the app when they are not actually sick?
"Before the process begins, you must always have voluntary confirmation from the user themselves that they are sick, but also from a doctor treating them or another healthcare provider." ... '
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