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Apple’s iOS 13.7 update has introduced a new Exposure Notification setting, but it requires the support of your state’s health authority.
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A variety of countries and companies have been trying to fight the coronavirus pandemic through contact tracing technology, which works by alerting people if they have been in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Among the technology players involved in the effort are Apple and Google, who jointly announced in April a system that would be integrated into the operating system of all iPhone and Android phones. On Tuesday, Apple introduced iOS 13.7 with a new contact tracing platform that relies on notifications from your state’s public health authority. Is that how it works.
SEE: How Tech Companies Fight COVID-19 with Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Ingenuity (TechRepublic)
Your iPhone will connect to your Bluetooth connection to search for nearby iPhones and Android phones that have the Exposure Notification feature enabled. Your device maintains a 14-day log of the corresponding devices, although Apple and Google have promised that no personally identifiable information or user location data will be collected.
If someone tests positive for COVID-19, that person can choose to share that diagnosis anonymously through the exposure notifications feature. Your phone checks the stored log to see if someone you have been in contact with has received a positive diagnosis. If such exposure is detected, you will be notified through your public health authority.
“Contact tracing technology requires confirmation when someone is infected,” Tony Anscombe, chief security evangelist at security provider ESET, told TechRepublic. “This must be done using a verified method, such as a QR code or a number from the state health authority, which requires the cooperation and acceptance of the health authority. Verification eliminates the possibility of false positives and malicious behavior “.
To investigate the new feature, iPhone owners will need to download the latest update. Go to Settings and then General and select Software Update. Make sure you have iOS 13.7 or higher. (Android 6.0 or higher users will get the same feature on their phones later this month.)
To enable contact tracking notifications, go to Settings and then Exposure notifications. Make sure availability alerts are turned on. This option alerts you when and if COVID-19 exposure notifications are available from your local public health authority. Here, you can also tap the link for How Exposure Notifications Work. Otherwise, tap on the link to activate exposure notifications (Figure a).
Figure a
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Read the next screen for COVID-19 exposure notifications and then tap Continue. Choose your country or region. If necessary, choose your state or region (Figure B).
Figure B
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The next screen will indicate whether or not your state or region already has an exposure notification app. This is where the process gets a bit tricky and confusing, for now at least.
Contact tracing built into iOS 13.7 and coming to Android 6.0 or higher will not require a separate app from your state’s public health authority, but will require support from that authority. That support is supposed to be in the works in a few different states, although there are certain challenges.
SEE: COVID-19 Policy in the Workplace (TechRepublic Premium)
“Removing the barrier to entering the field of contact tracing technology by providing the application framework makes it simpler, yet there are still significant server, process, and policy requirements that the state needs to opt for the technology.” Anscombe said. For example, users are likely to seek assurances regarding privacy from the state. Acceptance by states will depend on whether all the other elements required for contact tracing are aligned to make the technology an effective part of a larger solution. “
Until the necessary authorities begin to participate, you can use an existing application in your state or region, if one exists. This app can be integrated with Apple’s notification feature. See if the screen shows the name of said app to help you find it in the App Store. For example, Arizona has an application called Covid Watch Arizona, Nevada has an application called COVID Trace Nevada, North Dakota and Wyoming have an application called Care19 Alert, Virginia has their application called COVIDWISE, and Alabama has an application known as GuideSafe (Figure C).
Figure C
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After downloading and installing the app for your location, open it and go through the setup process. Return to the exposure notifications in Settings, where you can enable or disable certain options and work with the contact tracker app for your region (Figure D).
Figure D
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The new feature is an improvement over the Exposure Notification API introduced in iOS 13.5, which required a separate app for each authority.
“The release of iOS 13.7 eliminates the need for application development and places the functionality within the operating system,” Anscombe said. “The user will not need to download an app, just enable the feature on iOS. The public health authority will only need to provide configuration data that reflects state health policy to enable the technology.”
Contact tracing is not a new concept; It has been used with previous pandemics and outbreaks. But there are certain advantages to having the technology available on a mobile phone.
SEE: The Role of Big Data in COVID-19 (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)
“The main advantage is that the phones are explicitly designing low-level systems to support these types of use cases, which possibly means that they will be more stable, robust and secure,” Casey Ellis, CTO and founder of Bugcrowd told TechRepublic. “Until now, Bluetooth and phones weren’t designed to support peer-to-peer contact tracing, so a lot of security research was required to make it work and function safely.”
But for contact tracing to be effective in a mobile landscape, the process must become popular with mobile phone users. Will that happen?
“I think it will, especially as the pandemic continues to affect global health, the economy and mobility,” Ellis said. “Keep in mind that COVID-19 is not likely to be the last pandemic (or a widespread disease) that we will see. By refining these contact tracing tools now, we will be able to better correct future pandemics. Both Apple and Google should keep in mind. this consideration counts as well. “
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