The coronavirus tracking app is a tool developed by public health officials in collaboration with state governments to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases. The app uses a person’s Bluetooth signals to determine if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus. It can be instrumental in bringing down cases by notifying people and reducing the chances of unintentional spreading. Currently in the US over 20 states and territories including Wyoming, Virginia, Alabama and North Dakota are developing contact tracing apps that are estimated to cover over half the US population.
The use of these kinds of apps has been slow due to valid privacy concerns. Users are often hesitant to download apps that will essentially be able to track your every move. However, Google and Apple are trying to come up with certain safety regulations that will safeguard the data of the users and not infringe no their privacy. Another concern for many users is the impact on their phone’s battery life. A few testers revealed small decreases in battery life but the overall result was positive and not much of a hit was observed.
This app bears parallels to masks. Just as wearing masks needs to be a community effort to be effective, so too does the use of this app. Nearly 60% of the population must use the app for it to work the way it is supposed to. One big hurdle that needs to be overcome is making an app that transcends state and country borders. Currently, several states in the US have their own apps which are often not as effective once state lines are crossed, making it harder to perform contact-tracing and track people who are out-of-state. Similarly, some European countries have also implemented such apps, but they too don’t work across borders, minimizing their efficacy.
I am hopeful that there will be solutions to these problems soon enough for most people to be able to download the app and bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, once and for all.
By: Sanya Bansal