New NHS Covid tracker App and Google/Apple

[MartynJC (UK)]

This is worrying - at least to me - in that methods will be baked into the phone operating systems - big brother has arrived.

I guess I’ll have to leave my phone at home - or will it be mandatory to carry one? Some countries already offer chips to be inserted under the skin for transactions (no it’s not China).

Anyway:


In the first case, they will release software in May that lets public health authorities release apps for both Android and iOS phones.


Then, in months to come, they will also build this functionality directly into the underlying operating systems.


Apple and Google released on Friday preliminary technical specifications for the effort, which they called “Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing.”

https://apple.news/AVeluSkDOTsW_htmfAIopDQ

[ataripower]

This is hugely worrying but not entirely surprising. If you look outside the panic/hysteria spreading mainstream media for coverage of the 'pandemic' you will find some very interesting articles exploring how governments will be using this (fear) to erode freedoms, implement controls, and track our every move.

There are some far out conspiracy theories doing the rounds so try yo ignore them but delve further in and you will start to note the sinister activities of the states globally who are using this situation to their advantage. This is a perfect scenario for government to implement these controls without too much scrutiny or visibility. It will all unfortunately creep up on us

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[Phil Lee]

With my wife working as a hospital pharmacist I welcome anything that can help to reduce the effect of this pandemic. It has been proven in Korea that contact tracing limits the spread. Properly anonymised contract tracing using smartphones looks to be a fantastic idea to me.

[Passenger]

Good excuse, if you need one, ditch the smart phone, end of surveillance problem, well aside from the cameras.

[mitch1956]

root the phone ( android) install a custom rom ( with tracing app removed from the image ) carry on as normal.

[ataripower]

root the phone ( android) install a custom rom ( with tracing app removed from the image ) carry on as normal.

Easy if you know how, most people won't

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[mitch1956]

its not rocket sicence i was 60 when i learnt how. and its a lot easier now with walk thoughs on XDA & apps on that do it for you.

Easy if you know how, most people won't

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[Kirk280]

Any tracking apps that help control COVID19 don’t worry me in the slightest, I’d even welcome them if they are effective.

[TBKBABAB]

Any tracking apps that help control COVID19 don’t worry me in the slightest, I’d even welcome them if they are effective.

100% agree, and if it’s so easy to block then just do it after this is over.

[Jari37]

Thing is, Apple/Google track us in very sophisticated ways already. This will be interesting because it'll bring it into the public domain.

[stiglet]

Any tracking apps that help control COVID19 don’t worry me in the slightest, I’d even welcome them if they are effective.

+1 Couldn't agree more - as long as they can't tell how fast I drive up my hill

[Kingstepper]

Wrap it in foil until you need it.

[M4tt]

Wrap it in foil until you need it.

I already do but it really messes up my hair.

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Only the guilty have anything to fear.

[hafle]

Only the guilty have anything to fear.

It's got nothing to do with fear.

[NickGaters]

I think this could work. As long as it’s completely anonymous in both registration and usage.

I.e I register and get a token identifying my phone as abc123. As I’m out and about my bluetooth interacts with another anonymous user xyz999 and others. All interactions tracked.

Then if I get poorly all I’d need to do is flag myself as at risk in the app and the service pings all the other anonymous users I’ve ‘touched’ recently to let them know they’re also at risk.

What I would object to is I have to register as myself: I don’t trust the government to properly secure my data and ensure that outside agencies can’t track/iD who I’ve been close to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobDad]

We’ll all be fried by 5G virus waves (how can radio waves give you a virus?) before they can collect the data. Probably.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Saint-Just]

Only the guilty have anything to fear.

This has a long history of being debunked regularly, only to be revisited under new clothes. It usually start with: if you have done nothing wrong, why should you object? To being traced, to being searched, to let the police search your home, etc.

[meridian]

Only the guilty have anything to fear.

This is not about being caught pinching sweets.

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Only the guilty have anything to fear.

It's got nothing to do with fear.

This has a long history of being debunked regularly, only to be revisited under new clothes. It usually start with: if you have done nothing wrong, why should you object? To being traced, to being searched, to let the police search your home, etc.

This is not about being caught pinching sweets.

I should have ended it with a winky smiley, shouldn't I?

[Saint-Just]

I think it would have helped

[pugster]

its more about how the data is handled and who has access to it (prob the highest bidder)
.... can we expect a new type of text ' you have been fined £XXX as we see you were outside your property multiple times during a lockdown period'
it will be blocked/ removed on my phone as soon as the info becomes available on how to do it.

[Kingstepper]

.... can we expect a new type of text ' you have been fined £XXX as we see you were outside your property multiple times during a lockdown period'

Seems fair.

[MrSmith]

How does it work in flats though? Your location could be the same as a self isolating person 2 floors below but your position is the same. Or do they use altimeters? Or for Bluetooth range your phone could be 1m from someone but separated by bricks and mortar.

[julian2002]

We’ll all be fried by 5G virus waves (how can radio waves give you a virus?) before they can collect the data. Probably.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, no, no, you've got it all wrong, 5g doesn't GIVE you the virus, vaccinations and chemtrails do THAT. The 5g signal ACTIVATES the virus so that the gubmint can control your thoughts, shut down your organs or turn you into a mindless consuming zombie.

My wife is a frontline NHS worker so ANY means to track and neuter this killer virus comes as welcome news. Of course as a software engineer I'm well aware of the abuses that this kind of thing can be put to but the simple expedient of a tuned RF blocking case or just turning your BT / BLE off would stop the issue - as long as your trust the os maufacturer to ACTUALLY turn it off... where's my bacofoil.

[Phil Lee]

My wife is a frontline NHS worker so ANY means to track and neuter this killer virus comes as welcome news. Of course as a software engineer I'm well aware of the abuses that this kind of thing can be put to but the simple expedient of a tuned RF blocking case or just turning your BT / BLE off would stop the issue - as long as your trust the os maufacturer to ACTUALLY turn it off... where's my bacofoil.

My wife is as well. The tech looks to be based on Apple’s revision to Find My which happened last year. Like you say it’s based on BT/BTLE. The Bluetooth MAC address is anonymised and changed regularly. The saved data does not include location information. This article gives great background on the cryptography being used:

https://arstechnica.com/information-...nd-my-feature/

It turns out the tech Apple has been working onto several years is ideally suited to contact tracing.

[thieuster]

Invest in a company that makes metal phone cases... (combining two threads here). Everybody refers to the Singapore experiment. Well that hasn't proved to be faultless up until this point... https://www.cnet.com/news/director-b...n-to-covid-19/

Point is that the apps 'as such' aren't the problem. The problem is what's being done with the data. Dutch government and computers aren't the best combination - to say the least. And, once we had the reputation of being the 'free country'. Nowadays, trawling through cilvians' data is very, very big. Same as storing pics of numberplates from the police' CCTV cameras: not allowed, but oh so often done with "Sorry we forgot to erase them!" Lets not talk about the harassment of people by the Dutch tax authorities using data they weren't allowed to have in the first place.

The whole thing wouldn't worry me when my government wouldn't interfere. Sad but true: I trust Google and Apple more than those governmental nitwits.

M

[TBKBABAB]

Invest in a company that makes metal phone cases... (combining two threads here). Everybody refers to the Singapore experiment. Well that hasn't proved to be faultless up until this point... https://www.cnet.com/news/director-b...n-to-covid-19/

Point is that the apps 'as such' aren't the problem. The problem is what's being done with the data. Dutch government and computers aren't the best combination - to say the least. And, once we had the reputation of being the 'free country'. Nowadays, trawling through cilvians' data is very, very big. Same as storing pics of numberplates from the police' CCTV cameras: not allowed, but oh so often done with "Sorry we forgot to erase them!" Lets not talk about the harassment of people by the Dutch tax authorities using data they weren't allowed to have in the first place.

The whole thing wouldn't worry me when my government wouldn't interfere. Sad but true: I trust Google and Apple more than those governmental nitwits.

M

Whats the issue with someone having a picture of a number plate, they are taken all the time here as well and I have cctv of cars reg nos every time someone drives down my road plus all the dash cam footage taken every day and if you have paid the tax you are meant to what’s the problem.

[PhilipK]

Then if I get poorly all I’d need to do is flag myself as at risk in the app and the service pings all the other anonymous users I’ve ‘touched’ recently to let them know they’re also at risk.

That's one of the big flaws in the system.

If you get a diagnosis of coronavirus, it's quite possible that "oh, I must update my app" won't be the first thing that you'll think of doing. Equally, there will be those who will subvert the system by ticking the "I have C19" box when they are healthy.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can turn that off in the settings in Tapatalk.

[MartynJC (UK)]

Time for one of these:

https://www.jammer-store.com/alligat...er-jammer.html

[Kirk280]

Time for one of these:

https://www.jammer-store.com/alligat...er-jammer.html

Genuine question mate - why?

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Genuine question mate - why?

Beat me to it mate?

[GraniteQuarry]

Jesus.

32 posts and nobody's mentioned the Nazis yet

[Kingstepper]

Time for one of these:

https://www.jammer-store.com/alligat...er-jammer.html

No, you need one of these: -

[amnesia]

Practically everything you do is tracked, or trackable by someone... from using your computer, to driving your car (modern cars with SIM cards transmit a LOT of data back to the manufacturer), using your phone (data goes to Google, your network provider, most apps, GCHQ etc), to using your bank card etc.
It's virtually impossible to live 'off the grid' these days.

Google and Apple joining forces to create a legitimate app for contact tracing (instead of the covert methods they already use) is a good thing IMHO. If nothing else, it will open peoples' eyes to these tech companies, and how if you can't see the product, you ARE the product.