Tools & Strategies News

3 States to Use Apple, Google COVID-19 Contact Tracing System

Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina will use Apple and Google’s contact tracing technology to slow the spread of COVID-19.

3 states to use Apple, Google contact tracing app

Source: Getty Images

By Jessica Kent

- Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina are the first states to publicly comment about using Apple and Google’s COVID-19 contact tracing technology, now available to public health agencies on both iOS and Android.

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The tech giants’ contact tracing technology, launched on May 20, uses a Bluetooth-based system that stores data on people’s phones rather than a central database. When someone tests positive for COVID-19, the system can send a notification to anyone who was recently near that person, alerting them to contact their local health authority and get tested.

“Exposure Notification has the specific goal of rapid notification, which is especially important to slowing the spread of the disease with a virus that can be spread asymptomatically,” Google and Apple said in a joint statement.

“What we’ve built is not an app—rather public health agencies will incorporate the API into their own apps that people install. Our technology is designed to make these apps work better. Each user gets to decide whether or not to opt-in to Exposure Notifications; the system does not collect or use location from the device; and if a person is diagnosed with COVID-19, it is up to them whether or not to report that in the public health app.”

So far, 22 countries and some US states have requested access to the contact tracing technology, CNBC reported. Several countries in Europe have also said they will use the system.

In the US, public health officials will leverage Apple and Google’s technology in South Carolina’s SC-Safer-Together app, and in North Dakota’s CARE19 app.

“North Dakota is excited to be among the first states in the nation to utilize the exposure notification technology built by Apple and Google to help keep our citizens safe," North Dakota governor Doug Burgum said in a statement.

“The Care19 Exposure app will help us improve contact tracing and continue our ND Smart Restart by notifying people who may have been exposed to COVID-19, reaching the greatest number of people in a way that protects their privacy. As we respond to this unprecedented public health emergency, we invite other states to join us in leveraging smartphone technologies to strengthen existing contact tracing efforts, which are critical to getting communities and economies back up and running.”

Apple and Google first announced that they were partnering to develop a contract tracing app in April. While the companies aimed to design the technology with an emphasis on user privacy, the team had to update their proposal to address privacy concerns just two weeks after their initial announcement.

Privacy protection will have to be top of mind going forward. The effectiveness of this technology will hinge on individuals’ willingness to opt in, and people may be hesitant if they believe their personal information could be compromised.

“With these data and technology changes, we'll need to deal with potential privacy concerns – whether those concerns are specific to healthcare information or more general apprehensions,” Julie Swann, PhD, professor and department head of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University, said in a recent interview with HealthITAnalytics.

For their part, Apple and Google have taken steps to safeguard users’ data. The companies won’t allow apps built with their technology to use GPS data, and won’t allow governments to turn them on silently. Additionally, the pair will restrict governmental authorities to collecting the minimum amount of data necessary, and no one will be able to use the data for advertising or other purposes.

As the country looks to the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing apps will likely play a significant role in the collective new normal.

“User adoption is key to success and we believe that these strong privacy protections are also the best way to encourage use of these apps,” Apple and Google stated

“Today, this technology is in the hands of public health agencies across the world who will take the lead and we will continue to support their efforts.”