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Developers around the world are feverishly working on Corona’s warning apps. Now Google and Apple, the makers of the two relevant smartphone platforms, have teamed up to create the technical foundation for a data protection-friendly implementation.
Google and Apple emphasize that they only want to save contact data on their smartphones and not on a central server.
(dpa) Apple and Google, as providers of the two leading smartphone platforms worldwide, want to facilitate the development of applications for monitoring crown infections. They rely on distance detection using Bluetooth radio technology and encryption. “Protecting the privacy and security of users will be the focus of this development,” the two companies said on Friday. The iOS operating system of Apple iPhones and Google’s Android system should have the appropriate interfaces.
The concept provides that smartphones can exchange temporary identification numbers regardless of the operating system used, to preserve the privacy of the user. The concept of the two groups resembles the focus of the pan-European PEPP-PT initiative, presented by 130 scientists and developers from eight European countries.
Apple and Google only want to save contact details on users’ smartphones, not on a central server. Only when someone with Covid-19 has tested positive, the information will be transferred to a server if the interested person agrees. With this concept, the other smartphones regularly request a list of the anonymous identifications of sick people to see if they themselves have had contact with an infected person.
Google and Apple and Google want to ensure, among other things, that the constant exchange of ID numbers does not significantly reduce the battery life of the devices. In a first step, a programming interface (API) will be launched in May, which will allow collaboration between Android and iOS devices using applications from health authorities. These official applications would be available for users to download through their respective application stores.
In a second step, the two companies will work “in the coming months” to enable a more comprehensive Bluetooth-based platform for contact tracking. This functionality would be integrated directly into the operating system, that is, iOS and Android. “This is a more stable solution than a programming interface and will allow more people to participate after choosing to do so.” Additionally, interaction with a broader ecosystem of state health applications and authorities will be possible.
Apple and Google want to publish the initiative’s program code for a free inspection to create the greatest possible trust. The companies emphasized that the project would not identify any users or use location data. “Google and Apple don’t see who is sick or who is healthy.” Users are also aware of how they can participate or how they can refuse to participate. Health authorities would be involved in reporting infections.
The list of identification numbers of people you have met will not leave the device unless you explicitly allow it. Bluetooth IDs must be changed every 15 minutes to make exhaustive people tracking technically impossible. Google and Apple may also disable functionality in operating systems if they are no longer needed in certain regions of the world.
“Everyone at Apple and Google believes there has never been a more important time to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems,” the joint statement said. “Through close collaboration and collaboration with developers, governments, and public health care providers, we hope to use the power of technology to help countries around the world curb the spread of Covid-19 and return to everyday life. speed up “
Users who want to benefit from the initiative of Google and Apple must update the operating system. Google said it will support Android devices from the Marshmellow version (Android 6). Apple said it would ensure that virtually all iOS devices receive the corresponding update.
