[ad_1] As previously reported, the UK will break from the Apple-Google “decentralized” approach. Instead, the NHS’s technology group NHSX chose a centralized model, in which a list of contacts made via Bluetooth signals will be stored on users’ devices as anonymous tokens. If a user has symptoms or tests positive, the contacts can be submitted […]
Category: covid-19
Facebook sees opportunity in a pandemic
[ad_1] Soon after, with growing numbers of people around the world on lockdown, use of the social network started to tick up and the company began to push out one coronavirus-related update after another. Some moves, such as tightening ad policies, were defensive — an effort to weed out scammers and profiteers. Others, such as […]
EA’s not-E3 event will stream June 11th
[ad_1] EA’s contribution to Summer Games Fest now has a specific date. The publisher has announced that an online-only version of EA Play Live will take place on June 11th at 7PM Eastern through the company’s website. It didn’t drop any clues as to what’s in the pipeline, although you can reasonably presume there will […]
Apple and Google tell health departments their privacy requirements for coronavirus tracking
[ad_1] The system, which Apple and Google are calling exposure notification, involves anonymous Bluetooth keys exchanged between phones to track potential contact with the coronavirus causing COVID-19. The companies are collaborating on an interoperable API which should be released this month. But the two tech giants won’t be the ones building the actual apps — […]
Amazon VP quits over company firing COVID-19 whistleblowers
[ad_1] We’ve asked Amazon for comment. In the past, the company has insisted that climate change activists were violating policies on external communication, and that it fired COVID-19 protesters for violating social distancing rules. Bray didn’t buy those claims, however, noting that leaders could have set conditions for participating (or at least objected) instead of […]
India’s biggest mobile carrier left COVID-19 self-test data unsecured
[ad_1] Jio, the Indian mobile giant Facebook just bought a 9.9 percent stake in, may be at the center of its own privacy snafu. According to TechCrunch, the company didn’t secure a database connected to a COVID-19 symptom checker it launched in March. Security researcher Anurag Sen found this database, and alerted our sister publication, […]
France will start testing its COVID-19 tracking app the week of May 11th
[ad_1] France was one of the first countries scrambling to create a COVID-19 contact tracing app, and now it’s close to finding out how its app works in practice. Digital Affairs Minister Cedric O has stated (via Reuters) that France’s StopCOVID should enter real-world testing the week of May 11th, right as the country will […]
Uber is developing tech to ensure drivers wear face masks
[ad_1] Uber has already been supplying masks and disinfectants to drivers, but this new policy might be vital if the company hopes to revitalize its business as governments lift their lockdown restrictions. Ridesharing has taken a sharp hit as stay-at-home orders, closed stores and fear of travel have left would-be customers reluctant to go anywhere […]
India requires all workers to use its COVID-19 tracking app
[ad_1] Like in other countries, widespread adoption of contact tracing apps could prove vital to curbing the spread of the new coronavirus. They might reduce or eliminate the need for further lockdowns while humanity waits for a vaccine. However, governments have generally shied away from requiring these apps, in part to assuage fears they might […]
Senate bill would set privacy requirements for COVID-19 tracking
[ad_1] This would theoretically prevent Apple, Google and government agencies from collecting more data than they should, or funnelling it into the hands of marketers and others who might abuse it. However, privacy advocates are concerned it doesn’t do enough and might even worsen consumer safeguards. Public Knowledge Policy Counsel Sara Collins claimed that the […]