Apple and Google strengthen privacy in their tracking tool for COVID-19

The first phase of the project these companies have includes tools for public health applications to add contact tracking and it will be released publicly in mid-May, after the initial “beta” version of the software to developers, which will be ready next week.

Apple and Google said their next contact tracking tool for COVID-19 will have more robust privacy protections and that they will launch an early version for developers next week.

Tech companies said that system tracking keys will be generated more randomly, and that Bluetooth data will now be encrypted, making it difficult for hackers to identify specific users. Applications that use the tool now will also limit the recording of the time that people are exposed to an infected person to a maximum of 30 minutes.

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The companies said they made these changes after discussions with governments and developers of public health applications. The technology has come under fire for potentially sharing too much private health data, while France has asked Apple to ease some privacy protections.

Initially announced two weeks ago, the system adds technology to the iOS and Android operating systems that will alert users if they have contacted a person with COVID-19.

The first phase, tools for public health apps to add contact tracking, will be released publicly in mid-May after the initial “beta” version of the software to developers next week. In the coming months, the technology will be more deeply integrated into the Apple and Google operating systems to become less dependent on applications.

The companies also explained that if a person enters a positive result for COVID-19, it will be added to a list of positive diagnoses so that the system can notify users with whom they have come into contact. They reiterated that the system does not reveal the identity or location of a user to Apple or Google.

Companies are also adding new features to the tool for public health developers to create contact tracking apps. The companies said they will provide applications with data on the strength of Bluetooth signals so that the distance between devices can be estimated more accurately. Developers will also be able to specify the distance and time to determine what constitutes COVID-19 exposure for their applications. The tool will also determine the number of days since a person has been exposed.

Apple said the software update to enable the system will work on devices that have been released in the past four years. Google indicated that the tool will work with Android 6.0 or higher, covering approximately 2 billion devices.