TSR Tech: Apple and Google have just announced they are developing software which will alert people if they were recently in contact with someone who was infected with the coronavirus.
According to Apple, the technology giants said they are teaming up to release the tool within the next few months, and it will be built into the operating systems of iPhone and Android devices. The software would allow the smartphones to log other devices they get close to through Bluetooth technology.
With the tool, people infected with the coronavirus would notify a public health app that they have the illness, which would then alert phones that had recently come into the same range with that person’s device. The companies added that people would have to opt in to use the tool.
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Contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy. We’re working with @sundarpichai & @Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency & consent. https://t.co/94XlbmaGZV
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 10, 2020
“Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health officials have identified contact tracing as a valuable took to help contact its spread,” the Apple press release reads. “A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology.”
Despite Apple and Google being the largest technology rivals in the world, the press release stresses the need for the companies to come together to create something that will be able to help during this global health pandemic.
“All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.”
