Apple, Google ban location tracking in contact tracing apps

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple and Google have banned the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Apple and Google, whose operating systems power 99 percent of smartphones, said last month they would work together to create a system for notifying people who have been near others who have tested positive for COVID-19. The companies plan to allow only public health authorities to use the technology.

Both companies said privacy and preventing governments from using the system to compile data on citizens was a primary goal. The system uses Bluetooth signals from phones to detect encounters and does not use or store GPS location data.

The developers of official coronavirus-related apps in several US states last month said it was vital they be allowed to use GPS location data in conjunction with the new contact tracing system to track how outbreaks move and identify hotspots.

The decision to not allow GPS data collection with their contact tracing system will require public health authorities that want to access GPS location to rely on what Apple and Google have described as unstable, battery-draining workarounds.

Alternatives likely would miss some encounters because iPhones and Android devices turn off Bluetooth connections after some time for battery-saving and other reasons unless users remember to re-activate them.

Some apps said they planned to stick to their own approaches. Software company Twenty, which developed the state of Utah’s Healthy Together contact tracing app with both GPS and Bluetooth, said the app “operates effectively” without the new Apple-Google tool.

“If their approach can be more effective than our current solution, we’ll eagerly incorporate their features into our existing application, provided it meets the specifications of current and prospective public health partners,” Twenty said.

Canada’s Alberta province, which does not collect GPS data, said it has no plans to adopt the Apple-Google system for its ABTraceTogether app. Privacy experts have warned that any cache of location data related to health issues could make businesses and individuals vulnerable if the data is exposed.

Apple and Google said they will allow only one app per country to use the contact system, to avoid fragmentation and encourage wider adoption. The companies said they would support countries that opt for a state or regional approach and that US states will be allowed to use the system.