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Security experts have dismissed privacy and espionage concerns related to COVID-19 Alert SA application, saying that it does not collect information that can identify you or your location.
September 16 President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans using smartphones to download the COVID Alert mobile app.
He said the app has been rated zero by mobile networks to eliminate data costs and is completely anonymous.
“It does not collect any personal information, nor does it track anyone’s location,” Ramaphosa said.
In simple terms, the app lets people know when they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Alert SA application It has been created using the exposure notification framework of Apple and Google.
Instead of using a person’s location, the app uses Bluetooth signals to exchange ‘random codes’ with other users of the COVID Alert SA app.
This happens when their smartphones are within two meters of each other for more than 15 minutes.
The codes that are exchanged are stored in a register on each phone for two weeks.
When an app user tests positive for COVID-19, they can report this information on the app anonymously.
Then your device uploads all the random codes that it has recorded for the last two weeks to the exposure notification server.
The server sends these codes to the other users of the application, and if there is a match, the user is notified that they have been in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19.
Users who receive this notification will also be informed about how to self-quarantine and how to stay healthy.
Security concerns dismissed
Shortly after the launch of the COVID-19 Alert SA app, messages began circulating that the government is using the app to spy on people.
Some of the concerns include that the app identifies people and tracks their movement through location services.
Concerns were also raised about the permissions requested by the app, including pairing with Bluetooth devices and running on startup.
Security experts dismissed these concerns and explained that the application is completely anonymous and does not use location services.
Mobile app expert Alastair Hendricks said Apple and Google collaborated to create a secure and privacy-preserving way to record exposures between devices using Bluetooth.
He explained that the implementation uses random IDs that cannot be used to identify a user or their location.
Instead, your phone periodically checks all the random IDs associated with positive COVID-19 cases on a server with its own list.
“If you test positive for COVID-19, I would log it into the app and upload your random IDs,” he said.
“This application does not allow anyone to track its movements and goes through a rigorous review with Apple and Google.”
Commenting on why the app starts at startup, he said that it is much more effective if it always records potential exposures.
He added that the app is incredibly privacy-centric and doesn’t include third-party tracking libraries.
Sensepost CEO Dominic White echoed Hendricks’ views, saying that the COVID-19 Alert SA app requires far fewer permissions than other apps like Facebook require.
“The COVID-19 Alert SA app does not track you in any usable way. Facebook, Instagram and Takealot are significantly more invasive applications, ”he said.
Alastair Hendricks comments
I have received some messages asking me to clear up some misconceptions about the South African Covid Alert app.
Here’s a 🧵 that answers the most frequently asked questions.
– Alastair Hendricks (@ali_hen) September 19, 2020
Dominic White comments
Hi South Africans, I just sent a misinformation video from someone named “Daniel” claiming to be an app developer warning you not to install the COVID Alert South Africa app (https://t.co/ChlzTKpNAu) due to to the permissions you request. What are they: pic.twitter.com/tFAl2WvuLk
– Dominic White 🧬 (@singe) September 18, 2020
Interview with Jan Vermeulen
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