Tracing COVID-19 cases with Google Timeline?
I am surprised that when I do a Google search for 'COVID-19 "google timeline" ', I see essentially no results. We all know now what COVID-19 (nCov, Coronavirus) is. From the reports I see, this virus has the unusual characteristic of being very contageous for up to periods of weeks prior to a person's feeling symptoms. That is presumably how a large fraction of a cruise ship became infected. This is quite ominous. If epidemiologists were to ask a patient, "tell us where and when you've been each minute over the last 15 days" the vast majority of these victims wouldn't have a prayer of providing that information. And even worse, finding the other people who were "in that AM/PM at 5:07-5:21 10 days ago" would be essentially impossible. Or potentially dozens of other involved locations, over those 15 days. Before one of you accuses me of "advocating" the use of Google Timeline to track potential cases of COVID-19 by means of Google Timeline, I don't need to "advocate" it. Rather, I simply point out that there are a lot of people out there scared of this virus, and probably be looking for a way to determine if their paths have crossed with a victim, even if that victim wasn't symptomatic for 1-2 weeks after the contact. So at some point, I think there will be discussion of this possibility. The data is already being collected, in all Android phones (is there an Apple equivalent?) In principle, if a new infectee is identified, it would be technically possible to work backwards, figure out where he has been over the relevant period, and find anybody who was close to him during a multi-week period. One reason this could be important is that there may be a drug which might reduce (or, hopefully, eliminate) a person's contageousness if it taken during this pre-symptomatic period. One possibility is an old anti-malarial drug, chloroquine, which I have mentioned before. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32074550 But if people only begin taking chloroquine when they begin exhibiting symptoms of this new flu, that means that they will be spreading that virus for as much as two weeks, or even more. In principle, hundreds of people could be infected, directly or indirectly, merely because there is no early warning. Suppose you receive a text or email notification that you were in a small store, 5 days ago, with a person who just developed symptoms of COVID-19. You MIGHT be infected. So, you MIGHT want to take a chloroquine pill. (The half-life of chloroquine is 45-55 days). Or some other pill that could assist if taken long before symptoms were likely to appear. Not only might you not get sick, maybe you'd be able to avoid transmitting the virus to many others. (My speculation...) And maybe you'll live, when you otherwise wouldn't. We Cypherpunks are SUPPOSED to be more concerned, than average, about the privacy and freedom implications of technologies. What I have described, above, might be handled in a completely-voluntary fashion. But, we want to ensure that this doesn't turn into a permanent form of tracking. So we should debate the implications of all this, ideally before everyone else is talking about it. I would be surprised if Google isn't already considering something like this. They have much of the data to do so. They might hesitate to announce such an idea, for fear that people would think this is some sort of generalized people-tracking system. Jim Bell
On 2/21/20, jim bell
I am surprised that when I do a Google search for 'COVID-19 "google timeline" ', I see essentially no results.
Maybe Google has the answer and wants to monetize it first, lol :)
I simply point out that there are a lot of people out there scared of this virus
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/t0221-cdc-telebriefing-covid-19.mp3 Given growing worldwide distributions, and higher ~10% kill rate, it's probably reasonable to start casually avoiding some needless exposure to potential outgroups... travelers, barkeeps, attendants, random new people, that sort of thing. Game the shopping and work plans, etc. Or at least be able to do such survival thinking now if needed later.
and probably be looking for a way to determine if their paths have crossed with a victim, even if that victim wasn't symptomatic for 1-2 weeks after the contact. So at some point, I think there will be discussion of this possibility.
The data is already being collected, in all Android phones (is there an Apple equivalent?)
The telcos already have the SIM and IMEI association to towers, the triangulation, the SMS ability. Google and Apple and app companies already collect tons of GPS data.
In principle, if a new infectee is identified, it would be technically possible to work backwards, figure out where he has been over the relevant period, and find anybody who was close to him during a multi-week period.
The NSA GCHQ and AI gigacorps already have the bigdata tools to sift the location combinatrics out of that, already running it on their own non-bughunting tasks over similar datasets. Wouldn't be too hard to create some matching tool that users could use.
If epidemiologists were to ask a patient, "tell us where and when you've been each minute over the last 15 days" the vast majority of these victims wouldn't have a prayer of providing that information.
Companies and health systems are certainly already being tasked on this, at least using those traditional methods and public health data. If it gets really bloody, it's safe to presume there will be public calls to open up the private / secret databanks. But will such calls succeed? And would the data actually do any timely accurate good up against a raging epidemic? That type of integration hasn't been done before so it is likely to fail the first time around.
Suppose you receive a text or email notification that you were in a small store, 5 days ago, with a person who just developed symptoms of COVID-19. You MIGHT be infected. So, you MIGHT want to take ... you not get sick, maybe you'd be able to avoid transmitting the virus to many others. (My speculation...) And maybe you'll live, when you otherwise wouldn't.
We Cypherpunks are SUPPOSED to be more concerned, than average, about the privacy and freedom implications of technologies. What I have described, above, might be handled in a completely-voluntary fashion. But, we want to ensure that this doesn't turn into a permanent form of tracking. So we should debate the implications of all this, ideally before everyone else is talking about it.
Privacy and voluntary options can actually help beat epidemics. Suppose people could get the data of their contact history (or maybe they were running their own distributed voluntary p2p WiFi proximity contact loggers and messaging apps), or get tested, or receive treatment, completely anonymously, just give them a unique ID number, no real ID asked. Somewhat like the HIV epidemic or any other illness, sometimes people want to know first, so they can come to terms with it in a minute, then do what they have to do. Imagine some high society tabloid person, or anyone really, fucked an infected whore, or was getting coked up with Trump, whatever the deal... are they really going to volunteer that path. Maybe people want to self-confine at home and order food delivery, instead of risk catching MRSA in hospital. If I knew or thought I had some corona air/surface/touch transmissible death plague, I'd immediately remove myself from all such human contact, other than medical care, and tell the hospital people to just throw the syringes to me from afar :) Humans can be pretty cool like that. Who but a psycho asshole would really want to knowingly subject other people to such potential demise. Nothing will stop them, or from doing other things. Healthcare systems are often way more intrusive than they need to be. Many countries you can't even pay cash and sign a liability release, to get an anonymous physical exam, a simple MRI, some bloodwork, stitches, surgery, cancer, etc. Nothing transmissible or involving someone else, or even statistically trackworthy outlier condition, just routine shit. Consider blood donation... it all gets screened before infusion. They scream for donors, yet forbid anonymous donations, won't even hand out a random seeded ID number so that donors could voluntarily and privately check on their own bags. What lot of good calling donors up is going to do after docs already infused someone with a new bug. Just accept they'll add a screen for that and move on. Quota demand solved. Medical systems are also quietly giving and selling DNA and data on the backside. Just like telecoms, Facebook, Alexa, Ring, etc. Unfortunately, like "temporary" taxes and laws, too often turn out to be permanent. Consider making the ones who dreamed up to call and idea for tracking [forcing over/upon others], but provided it is merited, not allow them to be the ones who are running it and in control of shutting it down. Let the trackees be the authoritave brokers and pullback of their own data. Just like #OpenAudit an #OpenFab, if some random observer can't point to a reasonable problem and shut it down, you're the one that gets backdoored.
I would be surprised if Google isn't already considering something like this. They have much of the data to do so. They might hesitate to announce such an idea, for fear that people would think this is some sort of generalized people-tracking system.
On Friday, February 21, 2020, 08:55:36 PM PST, grarpamp
I am surprised that when I do a Google search for 'COVID-19 "google timeline" ', I see essentially no results.
Maybe Google has the answer and wants to monetize it first, lol :) <sigh> That may be right...
I simply point out that there are a lot of people out there scared of this virus
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/t0221-cdc-telebriefing-covid-19.mp3
Given growing worldwide distributions, and higher ~10% kill rate,
I've read it's about 2.3% in China, 0.6% elsewhere. Not quite "Black Death" level, or Ebola, etc. but still ominous.
it's probably reasonable to start casually avoiding some needless exposure to potential outgroups... travelers, barkeeps, attendants, random new people, that sort of thing. Game the shopping and work plans, etc. Or at least be able to do such survival thinking now if needed later.
There is some indication of a vaccine in a few months.
and probably be looking for a way to determine if their paths have crossed with a victim, even if that victim wasn't symptomatic for 1-2 weeks after the contact. So at some point, I think there will be discussion of this possibility.
The data is already being collected, in all Android phones (is there an Apple equivalent?)
The telcos already have the SIM and IMEI association to towers, the triangulation, the SMS ability. Google and Apple and app companies already collect tons of GPS data.
Yes, but I don't think that's accurate enough. The accuracy needed is something like, "did a person go into that specific store, or the next one 30 feet away". Tower measurement isn't that accurate.
In principle, if a new infectee is identified, it would be technically possible to work backwards, figure out where he has been over the relevant period, and find anybody who was close to him during a multi-week period.
The NSA GCHQ and AI gigacorps already have the bigdata tools to sift the location combinatrics out of that, already running it on their own non-bughunting tasks over similar datasets. Wouldn't be too hard to create some matching tool that users could use.
If epidemiologists were to ask a patient, "tell us where and when you've been each minute over the last 15 days" the vast majority of these victims wouldn't have a prayer of providing that information.
Companies and health systems are certainly already being tasked on this, at least using those traditional methods and public health data.
If it gets really bloody, it's safe to presume there will be public calls to open up the private / secret databanks. But will such calls succeed? And would the data actually do any timely accurate good up against a raging epidemic?
I think most infectees would be willing to have their information shared. And many non-infectees would be willing to have their Timeline data compared with that of infectees.
That type of integration hasn't been done before so it is likely to fail the first time around.
I feel certain that Google people are working on the capability. They'd be flailed if they werent.
Suppose you receive a text or email notification that you were in a small store, 5 days ago, with a person who just developed symptoms of COVID-19. You MIGHT be infected. So, you MIGHT want to take ... you not get sick, maybe you'd be able to avoid transmitting the virus to many others. (My speculation...) And maybe you'll live, when you otherwise wouldn't.
We Cypherpunks are SUPPOSED to be more concerned, than average, about the privacy and freedom implications of technologies. What I have described, above, might be handled in a completely-voluntary fashion. But, we want to ensure that this doesn't turn into a permanent form of tracking. So we should debate the implications of all this, ideally before everyone else is talking about it.
Privacy and voluntary options can actually help beat epidemics. Suppose people could get the data of their contact history (or maybe they were running their own distributed voluntary p2p WiFi proximity contact loggers and messaging apps), or get tested, or receive treatment, completely anonymously, just give them a unique ID number, no real ID asked.
Somewhat like the HIV epidemic or any other illness, sometimes people want to know first, so they can come to terms with it in a minute, then do what they have to do. Imagine some high society tabloid person, or anyone really, fucked an infected whore, or was getting coked up with Trump, whatever the deal... are they really going to volunteer that path. Maybe people want to self-confine at home and order food delivery, instead of risk catching MRSA in hospital. If I knew or thought I had some corona air/surface/touch transmissible death plague, I'd immediately remove myself from all such human contact, other than medical care, and tell the hospital people to just throw the syringes to me from afar :) Humans can be pretty cool like that. Who but a psycho asshole would really want to knowingly subject other people to such potential demise. Nothing will stop them, or from doing other things. Healthcare systems are often way more intrusive than they need to be. Many countries you can't even pay cash and sign a liability release, to get an anonymous physical exam, a simple MRI, some bloodwork, stitches, surgery, cancer, etc. Nothing transmissible or involving someone else, or even statistically trackworthy outlier condition, just routine shit. Consider blood donation... it all gets screened before infusion. They scream for donors, yet forbid anonymous donations, won't even hand out a random seeded ID number so that donors could voluntarily and privately check on their own bags. What lot of good calling donors up is going to do after docs already infused someone with a new bug. Just accept they'll add a screen for that and move on. Quota demand solved. Medical systems are also quietly giving and selling DNA and data on the backside. Just like telecoms, Facebook, Alexa, Ring, etc. Unfortunately, like "temporary" taxes and laws, too often turn out to be permanent. Consider making the ones who dreamed up to call and idea for tracking [forcing over/upon others], but provided it is merited, not allow them to be the ones who are running it and in control of shutting it down. Let the trackees be the authoritave brokers and pullback of their own data. Just like #OpenAudit an #OpenFab, if some random observer can't point to a reasonable problem and shut it down, you're the one that gets backdoored.
I would be surprised if Google isn't already considering something like this. They have much of the data to do so. They might hesitate to announce such an idea, for fear that people would think this is some sort of generalized people-tracking system.
https://apnews.com/97dbcb6d4ef71a48d15a7ec5dd7b4c48
[partial quote follows]
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has long been known for its use of technology to track the movements of Palestinian militants. Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to use similar technology to stop the movement of the coronavirus.
Netanyahu’s Cabinet on Sunday authorized the Shin Bet security agency to use its phone-snooping tactics on coronavirus patients, an official confirmed, despite concerns from civil-liberties advocates that the practice would raise serious privacy issues. The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
Netanyahu announced his plan in a televised address late Saturday, telling the nation that the drastic steps would protect the public’s health, though it would also “entail a certain degree of violation of privacy.”
Israel has identified more than 200 cases of the coronavirus. Based on interviews with these patients about their movements, health officials have put out public advisories ordering tens of thousands of people who may have come into contact with them into protective home quarantine.
The new plan would use mobile-phone tracking technology to give a far more precise history of an infected person’s movements before they were diagnosed and identify people who might have been exposed.
In his address, Netanyahu acknowledged the technology had never been used on civilians. But he said the unprecedented health threat posed by the virus justified its use. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.
“They are not minor measures. They entail a certain degree of violation of the privacy of those same people, who we will check to see whom they came into contact with while sick and what preceded that. This is an effective tool for locating the virus,” Netanyahu said.
The proposal sparked a heated debate over the use of sensitive security technology, who would have access to the information and what exactly would be done with it.
Nitzan Horowitz, leader of the liberal opposition party Meretz, said that tracking citizens “using databases and sophisticated technological means are liable to result in a severe violation of privacy and basic civil liberties.” He said any use of the technology must be supervised, with “clear rules” for the use of the information.
Netanyahu led a series of discussions Sunday with security and health officials to discuss the matter. Responding to privacy concerns, he said late Sunday he had ordered a number of changes in the plan, including reducing the scope of data that would be gathered and limiting the number of people who could see the information, to protect against misuse.
[end of partial quote]
On Friday, February 21, 2020, 04:45:16 PM PST, jim bell
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/israel-passes-emergency-law-to-use-mobile-...
Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for COVID-19 contact tracing
Natasha Lomas@riptari / 3:25 am PDT • March 18, 2020
Israel has passed an emergency law to use mobile phone data for tracking people infected with COVID-19 including to identify and quarantine others they have come into contact with and may have infected.
The BBC reports that the emergency law was passed during an overnight sitting of the cabinet, bypassing parliamentary approval.
Israel also said it will step up testing substantially as part of its respond to the pandemic crisis.
In a statement posted to Facebook, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: “We will dramatically increase the ability to locate and quarantine those who have been infected. Today, we started using digital technology to locate people who have been in contact with those stricken by the Corona. We will inform these people that they must go into quarantine for 14 days. These are expected to be large – even very large – numbers and we will announce this in the coming days. Going into quarantine will not be a recommendation but a requirement and we will enforce it without compromise. This is a critical step in slowing the spread of the epidemic.”
The Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks this evening, at the joint statements with Health M...
On Sunday, March 15, 2020, 11:46:22 PM PDT, jim bell
On Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:35:41 +0000 (UTC)
jim bell
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/israel-passes-emergency-law-to-use-mobile-...
Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for flu contact tracing
Can you explain what that means in terms of libertarianism and cypherpunk principles?
On Monday, March 23, 2020, 02:12:32 PM PDT, Punk-Stasi 2.0
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/israel-passes-emergency-law-to-use-mobile-...
Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for flu contact tracing
> Can you explain what that means in terms of libertarianism and cypherpunk principles?
Yes, I could take the time. Israel doesn't claim to be a nation operating under the principles of libertarianism. Should it be? Yes. As should every nation.
So, they are adopting this law. If participating in this practice was voluntary, there probably won't be a problem.I believe that this system could be structured so as to minimize loss of privacy, but I have no idea if that principle will be followed in this specific situation and law. I posted the reference to the article as I found it.
I suspect that many and probably most newly-discovered victims of Coronavirus will not object to having their prior locations tracked, if their "true name" or true identity isn't identified. Details I will omit, for now. Similarly, I think that most people who don't know themselves to be infected would voluntarily sign up for a service to alert them if they were "close" to a Coronavirus carrier.
Keep in mind that I asked for a dicussion of this issue to occur about a month ago. If you have a problem with the idea, you should have participated in discussions long before now. And not merely made snide comments. As some do.
Jim Bell
[copy]
jim bell
On Mon, 23 Mar 2020 21:41:30 +0000 (UTC)
jim bell
Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for flu contact tracing
Can you explain what that means in terms of libertarianism and cypherpunk principles?
Yes, I could take the time. Israel doesn't claim to be a nation operating under the principles of libertarianism. Should it be? Yes. As should every nation.
really. So you stated two obvious and irrelevant facts. The joo state are criminals and they shouldn't be criminals. (second one is a moral fact)
So, they are adopting this law. If participating in this practice was voluntary, there probably won't be a problem.
Of course there would be problems even if it was 'voluntary' So, you failed to make any meaningful connection between libertarian principles, isreal's fascism, surveillance and flu hysteria.
I believe that this system could be structured so as to minimize loss of privacy,
which is nonsense. And the idea that people 'should' be tracked like cattle is of course antithetical to cypherpunk principles. .
I suspect that many and probably most newly-discovered victims of Coronavirus will not object to having their prior locations tracked, if their "true name" or true identity isn't identified.
same nonsense repeated. It should also be taken into account that 'most people' are not in their right mind but suffering from mass delusion.
Details I will omit, for now. Similarly, I think that most people who don't know themselves to be infected would voluntarily sign up for a service to alert them if they were "close" to a Coronavirus carrier.
hilarious
Keep in mind that I asked for a dicussion of this issue to occur about a month ago. If you have a problem with the idea, you should have participated in discussions long before now.
I saw some post of yours that mentioned google-nsa-gchq and I kinda suspected that you had the exact technofacist idea you have just presented. I ignored it at that time and I'm shredding it to pieces now.
And not merely made snide comments. As some do.
"snide comments"
On Mon, 23 Mar 2020 21:41:30 +0000 (UTC)
jim bell
Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for flu contact tracing
Can you explain what that means in terms of libertarianism and cypherpunk principles?
Since Jim has obviously failed to do what I asked, I'll do it myself : isreal is a highly fascist theocracy and what they are doing is a textbook example of political manipulation to invent an 'emergency' and 'justify' an even wider power grab. So from the point of view of libertarianism the state isn't obv 'justified', the hysteria isn't justified and the statist 'conclusion' - more surveillance - isn't 'justified'. Now, from a cypherpunk point of view, surveillance is an especially repugnant attack and threat to individuals, and yet we have dear Jim peddling 'voluntary' google-nsa-mossad surveillance...
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/03/google-is-now-publishing-coronavirus-mobil...
Google is giving the world a clearer glimpse of exactly how much it knows about people everywhere — using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to repackage its persistent tracking of where users go and what they do as a public good in the midst of a pandemic.
In a blog post today, the tech giant announced the publication of what it’s branding COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports, an in-house analysis of the much more granular location data it maps and tracks to fuel its ad-targeting, product development and wider commercial strategy to showcase aggregated changes in population movements around the world.
The coronavirus pandemic has generated a worldwide scramble for tools and data to inform government responses. In the EU, for example, the European Commission has been leaning on telcos to hand over anonymized and aggregated location data to model the spread of COVID-19.
Google’s data dump looks intended to dangle a similar idea of public policy utility while providing an eyeball-grabbing public snapshot of mobility shifts via data pulled off of its global user-base.
In terms of actual utility for policymakers, Google’s suggestions are pretty vague. The reports could help government and public health officials “understand changes in essential trips that can shape recommendations on business hours or inform delivery service offerings,” it writes.
“Similarly, persistent visits to transportation hubs might indicate the need to add additional buses or trains in order to allow people who need to travel room to spread out for social distancing,” it goes on. “Ultimately, understanding not only whether people are traveling, but also trends in destinations, can help officials design guidance to protect public health and essential needs of communities.”
The location data Google is making public is similarly fuzzy — to avoid inviting a privacy storm — with the company writing it’s using “the same world-class anonymization technology that we use in our products every day,” as it puts it.
On Monday, March 23, 2020, 12:35:41 AM PDT, jim bell
On Fri, Apr 03, 2020 at 11:19:59PM +0000, jim bell wrote:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/03/google-is-now-publishing-coronavirus-mobil... Google is giving the world a clearer glimpse of exactly how much it knows about people everywhere — using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to repackage its persistent tracking of where users go and what they do as a public good in the midst of a pandemic.
Well, perhaps they can prove or disprove AOC's theory that China virus -literally- racially profiles by targeting Black+Brown people, who therefore "need financial reparations". AOC is one for the record books with this actual "true news of the week" story I guess... AOC Demands COVID-19 "Reparations" For Black+Brown People https://www.zerohedge.com/political/aoc-demands-covid-19-reparations-blackbr... https://summit.news/2020/04/03/aoc-calls-for-coronavirus-reparations-for-bla... Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for coronavirus “reparations” for black and brown people, claiming that “environmental racism” is an “underlying health condition.” .. “That’s shameful. No wonder voters think that she is out of touch. She has a golf-simulator and infinity pool and Peloton Cycle room as well as other luxuries while families in the Bronx and Queens are worried about how long the lines are at the grocery store and where they are going to get their next paycheck. AOC isn’t even here to see their desperation and their struggle to survive with her own eyes,” the challenger said. .. AOC provided no source to substantiate the claim that COVID-19 deaths were spiking in black or brown communities .. Another individual suggested that black bodies “work differently” and that this was also the fault of white supremacy. .. Ocasio-Cortez previously waded into the coronavirus debate by demanding the FDA relax rules on blood donation, allowing homosexuals to donate blood despite a greater risk of infection. The rule was subsequently relaxed.
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-and-google-are-building-coronavirus-tracking...
Apple and Google are building coronavirus tracking tech into iOS and Android
The two companies are working together, representing most of the phones used around the world.
Ian Sherr, Richard Nieva, Stephen Shankland
April 10, 2020 12:23 p.m. PT 23
LISTEN
- 03:49
Apple and Google have teamed up to take on COVID-19.
Two of the tech industry's biggest players are working together to fight the coronavirus, announcing a new set of tools that could come to a majority of smartphones around the world.
The new technology, outlined in white papers published by Apple and Google on Friday, relies on Bluetooth wireless radio technology to help phones communicate with one another, ultimately warning users about people they've come in contact with who are infected with the coronavirus.
Apple and Google plan to initially release these tools in May so apps from public health authorities can use the contact tracing technology. Then in coming months, the companies plan to build them directly into iOS and Android software to help more people tap into them.
"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," the companies said in a joint statement.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday touted the project on Twitter, saying the two companies "are committed to working together on these efforts." Apple CEO Tim Cook added in his own tweet that the new initiative "respects transparency and consent."
Apple and Google's efforts are just the latest by tech giants to help mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus. The pandemic has forced nearly all Americans to shelter in place to help slow the virus' spread and reduce the strain on hospitals.
apple.com/newsroom/2020/
04/apple-and-google-partner-on-covid-19-contact-tracing-technology/
…
Apple and Google partner on COVID-19 contact tracing technology
Apple and Google announce a joint effort to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy central to the design.
apple.com
30.9K
10:03 AM - Apr 10, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
11.8K people are talking about this
Sundar Pichai
✔
@sundarpichai
To help public health officials slow the spread of #COVID19, Google & @Apple are working on a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy. @tim_cook and I are committed to working together on these efforts.
https://
blog.google/inside-google/
company-announcements/apple-and-google-partner-covid-19-contact-tracing-technology
…
Apple and Google partner on COVID-19 contact tracing technology
A joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus.
blog.google
25.7K
10:04 AM - Apr 10, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
7,945 people are talking about this
Big tech companies in particular have been working on initiatives around the coronavirus since it struck. Verily, the life sciences arm of Google parent company Alphabet, last month launched a website that gives people in California information about virus testing. The website, developed in partnership with the White House, lets people fill in symptoms and complete an online screener.
Google also last month said it's committing more than $800 million to help small businesses and crisis responders dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
On Friday, April 3, 2020, 04:19:59 PM PDT, jim bell
On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 19:06:07 +0000 (UTC)
jim bell
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-and-google-are-building-coronavirus-tracking...
crapple and googlejews are building flu hysteria tracking into their malware 'products'
Insane. As always US companies are the worst scum on the planet. So what's your opinion Jim. Should this be taken as yet another instance of your advocacy for 'voluntary' technofascism?
https://decrypt.co/25338/apple-and-googles-coronavirus-app-is-a-global-mass-surveillance-tool?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sm5
[partial copy follows]
Apple and Google's coronavirus app is a 'global mass surveillance tool'
Apple and Google are bringing coronavirus contact tracing to iOS and Android. Computer science professor Jaap-Henk Hoepman says this will turn smartphones into “pocket Stasi agents.”
By Liam Frost
6 min read
Apr 13, 2020
THE CORONAVIRUS APP IS GOING DEEPED INTO YOUR PHONE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK.
In brief
Apple and Google plan to integrate a Bluetooth-based contact tracing technology into iOS and Android.
Corresponding apps should help track the spread of the coronavirus globally.
Experts fear that it could lead to greater surveillance through mobile phones.
American tech corporations Apple and Google issued a joint statement on April 10, announcing their plans to integrate a new Bluetooth-based coronavirus contact tracing technology into the iOS and Android operating systems.
“In the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. This is a more robust solution than an API,” the announcement stated, adding that it will “enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities.”
Coronavirus surveillance may mean the end of personal privacy
Numerous governments around the world are beginning to roll out mass surveillance systems in an attempt to slow the pandemic. But privacy advocates are worried that when these measures have be...
News
Business
Liam Frost
Mar 23, 2020
4 min read
In theory, apps based on this new functionality will act as an “alarm,” warning you if your smartphone was in close proximity to a device tagged as “infected”—belonging to someone tested positive for the coronavirus. But there’s a catch.
The companies claim new technology will “maintain strong protections around user privacy,” yet its implementation could result in the exact opposite, according to Jaap-Henk Hoepman, associate professor of Computer Science at Radboud University.
------------------------------------------------------------
On Saturday, April 11, 2020, 12:06:07 PM PDT, jim bell
I thought of it, but that doesn't mean I advocate it.
Jim Bell
On Mon, Apr 13, 2020 at 5:30 AM, Punk-Stasi 2.0
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-and-google-are-building-coronavirus-tracking...
crapple and googlejews are building flu hysteria tracking into their malware 'products'
Insane. As always US companies are the worst scum on the planet. So what's your opinion Jim. Should this be taken as yet another instance of your advocacy for 'voluntary' technofascism?
On Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:16:56 +0000 (UTC)
jim bell
I thought of it, but that doesn't mean I advocate it.
Good. Now, half the world is under house arrest thanks to an 'outbreak' of collective madness enabled by the arpanet. The collective madness is also enabled by the fact that ignorant idiots, 'educated' in public schools, worship 'science' and so believe in the flu bogeyman...because 'medical scientists'. So how is all this marvelous 'scientific progress' and 'technology' affecting human freedom?
participants (4)
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grarpamp -
jim bell -
Punk-Stasi 2.0 -
Zig the N.g