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“I would like it not to be a gadget, but a gadget, it is unified, adapted to the entire European Union.” And that, of course, would be a voluntary principle that makes traveling and getting around easier, ”S. Skvernelis said at a press conference last week.
“Those who don’t want to implement such a program would have certain restrictions and limitations. Whoever wants to do that would really be a relief. And I think it would really make it easier, in terms of potentially infected people or epidemiological research, in terms of individual areas,” he added. the first Minister.
Will the gadgets save the summer?
The issue of mobile apps that would capture the spread of the coronavirus and help prevent infections is not the first time a pandemic has started. A new debate over devices has sparked the upcoming summer vacation season, which is still overshadowed by uncertainty about travel options.
Earlier, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, mentioned that “smart” solutions will have to be found for this summer season. Among such smart solutions, some countries offer “COVID-19 passports” or “tourism corridors”.
On Monday European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager, responsible for digitization, told the European Parliament that mobile applications could also be used for this purpose: “The EU can use most of these applications to allow travel during the season of holidays”.
The use of mobile applications was also discussed at the informal Council of EU Ministers responsible for telecommunications, which took place last Tuesday and was attended by Lithuanian Minister of Transport Jaroslav Narkevičius. As diplomats told Delfi, nothing concrete was agreed, just an exchange of experiences and opinions.
“Everyone agreed that there was a great need to develop applications and that countries were developing their own,” the source said, adding that there was no talk of easing quarantine restrictions for appellants, but the key question was how to reconcile them.
“No one can have problems if they don’t want the gadget”
Discussions on devices continued in the European Parliament, which adopted a resolution in mid-April stating that any digital measure against a pandemic must comply with data protection and privacy legislation.
At a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on Thursday night, Wojciech Wiewiórowski, European Data Protection Supervisor, and Andrea Jelinek, President of the European Data Protection Board , received many questions on the subject. One of the most important and frequently heard questions is about the principle of voluntary installation of devices: will they receive any sanctions if they are not installed, and if they are installed, on the contrary, will certain benefits and restrictions be removed?
After all, not only the Lithuanian Prime Minister spoke about it, but also some MEPs, representatives of the German People’s Party of Germany, called for the lifting of certain restrictions for those who will use coronavirus mobile applications. However, the party later issued a joint statement, which again emphasized the principle of voluntariness, the dissemination of information, and not certain sanctions or privileges. This position is shared by experts.
“We have made it clear in the basics of our guidelines what volunteering means: No one can have a problem if they do not want to download the application,” Jelinek told the European Parliament.
Mr Wiewiórowski shared the same opinion: “As a representative of the EU supervisory authority, I want to say directly that I do not imagine that any EU institution can discriminate against someone who has not decided to download an application or is frustrated with the application that you have downloaded and have decided not to use it anymore. We need to build trust and not discriminate against those who don’t use gadgets. Otherwise, we will simply encourage people to cheat, to manipulate the system. “
There will be more than one gadget, but is it shared?
Experts also noted that mobile apps are not a panacea for a coronavirus pandemic, they are just part of a solution package. According to them, the experience of other countries raises some doubts about the effectiveness of such devices.
“It is true that we do not have reliable data on the effectiveness of gadgets. We only see the expected results, the potential of systems that are just beginning to be implemented,” said Wiewiórowski, adding: “We should monitor whether this is effective or not, and if things go wrong, back off, as in the case of Singapore, which is a little disappointed with the results it has received. “
He said that the idea of a common program across the EU prevailed, but that it was difficult to create a single program that was ideally suited to needs, as there were many differences between Member States (from administration to healthcare).
© Imago / Scanpix
Already in the first half of April, the European Commission adopted a recommendation to support measures to control the spread of the coronavirus through the use of mobile data and mobile applications. Subsequently, a set of EU tools was developed for the use of mobile devices to identify and alert exposed people. All documents place special emphasis on the principles of data security and voluntariness.
“The most important thing is that the devices must be voluntary, transparent, temporary, secure and anonymous. It must be based on Bluetooth technology and be able to interact in different countries, as well as in different operating systems,” said Delfi, the spokesperson for the European Commission.
According to him, the Commission supports the development of systems developed by individual countries that would be common to the entire EU.
“Application interoperability is an essential requirement for its users to use it anywhere in the EU,” he said, adding that next week the Commission will present guidelines to revitalize transport services and connectivity, including digital solutions. , “including voluntary mobile applications”. “
Many challenges
“We want to see devices that are used completely voluntarily and that do not track the location but capture contacts. This means that the device will inform people who have been in contact with the sick person, instead of publishing where those people were. The most confidential data should not be centralized, and of course gadgets and data should be removed when the crisis is over. At the same time, we want gadgets from different countries to be able to “talk”, i. and. to help people traveling abroad, “said Věra Jourová, vice-president of the European Securities and Transparency Commission, in an interview with Delfi in late April.
The principle of operation of contact fixing devices is quite simple, writes the British scientific magazine “New Scientist”. An application downloaded to your phone uses Bluetooth technology to capture when your phone appears near another phone that also has this application. If a person subsequently reports symptoms of coronavirus, the other telephone is notified so that the owner can isolate himself or seek medical assistance. A warning to the latter occurs only when the first person’s illness is confirmed by official doctors, to prevent the spread of fraud and panic. Theoretically, this type of gadget works anonymously, the data is temporarily stored, and the person’s location is not tracked.
The pan-European proximity monitoring project to preserve privacy (PEPP-PT) was launched in April by a team of 100 researchers from 8 European countries to create such an application, which could be adapted by each country and meet the EU requirements. However, he was soon accused of centralizing the data, lacking transparency, and some project participants withdrew from it.
Another challenge for such devices is how many people will use them.
“Research shows that 60 percent. Population uses, then the app is fully functional. If only 20 percent.” We can get some data from that, “Wiewiórowski told the European Parliament on Thursday.
According to New Scientist, researchers at the University of Oxford conducted a study and found that the app will only be effective in preventing a pandemic when it is downloaded by 80 percent. Brits use smartphones (i.e. 56% of the total UK population).
New Scientist also draws attention to the shortcomings of the Bluetooth system: it works within a radius of more than 1.5 meters, as well as across borders, so it can capture contacts at a safe distance and increase the number of reports false of diseases.
The purpose and principle of operation of the Quarantine application currently operating in Lithuania is different. This application must ensure that the person is quarantined, i. and. collects data on the location of the smartphone holder in real time.
Everyone who agrees to be quarantined at home with the Quarantine app records their isolation, a government press release says. This person can be contacted at any time and asked to send proof that their whereabouts have not changed. The app operator has the right to report people who do not comply with self-isolation to the police, who will take appropriate action.
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