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While Apple and Google are working to use their smartphone’s Bluetooth and location tracking to determine the people affected by Covid-19 around them, they will also turn off this technology once the disease is contained. This has been mentioned in the “Frequently Asked Questions” document published by Apple. The closure of the service will take place region by region. However, it is not clear how it will be decided whether the pandemic has been contained in that region or not. However, engineers have confirmed that the APIs for the technology are not supposed to be maintained indefinitely.
In the “How will the system protect user privacy and security?” Section, the document clearly mentions that “Google and Apple can disable the exposure notification system at the regional level when it is no longer needed.” But the choice of using this technology is entirely up to the user and he / she can disable it at any time by uninstalling the contact tracking app or disabling exposure notification in Settings.
Also Read: Apple, Google Launch Contact Tracking API Specifications, Security, Accuracy Measurements – Everything You Need To Know
However, the document reaffirmed that this technology will not collect location data from the device and will not share the identities of other users with each other. Also, the Bluetooth privacy preservation beacons rotate every 10-20 minutes to prevent tracking.
A couple of days ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed some more technical details about their efforts that indicate the fact that they are speeding up work. Among other changes to the API, Apple and Google will provide developers to create applications with stronger encryption standards and more accurate Bluetooth signals.
According to Apple and Google, the changes are “the result of significant engagement and feedback from key external stakeholders around the world” and the announcements revolve mainly around the API’s crypto and Bluetooth specs.
