COVID-19

Apple & Google ban use of location tracking in COVID contact tracing apps

Apple & Google ban use of location tracking in COVID contact tracing apps

Apple and Google have announced a ban on the use of location tracking in contact tracing apps.

The companies are working together to create a contact tracing system that public health authorities will have access to use.

Privacy and preventing governments from using the system to compile data on its citizens is a primary goal of the project.

Apple and Google's contact tracing system uses Bluetooth signals from phones to detect encounters and doesn't use or store GPS location data.

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If public health authorities want to continue using GPS data they will need to use unstable and battery draining workarounds.

Apple and Google will only allow one app per country to use the system but will support countries that opt for a state or regional approach.

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