The two technological giants, Google and Apple decided to ban the use of location tracking apps in their new contact tracking system, which they are aiming to build to slow the spread of novel coronavirus infection.
The major decision came on Monday (4 May), when both Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google came out together to announce that the move was necessary for privacy and preventing governments from using the system to compile data on citizens was a primary goal.
In a global market, where both Google and Apple’s operating systems power almost 99% of smartphones, they already made it clear last month only that they would be creating a system for notifying people who have been near others who have tested positive for COVID-19. But the companies also made it clear that they would only allow public health authorities to use this technology.
Both companies said that the new system would be using Bluetooth signals from smartphones to detect and identify encounters of coronavirus infection and will not use or store GPS location data. The move was very clear to protect the privacy of individuals and prevent the government from compiling data on citizens.
Also not to forget, the official coronavirus-related app developers in several U.S. states already told Reuters last month that it was vital that they would be allowed to use GPS location data along with the new contact tracking system so that they can track how outbreaks move and also identify the hotspots of coronavirus.
Another reason why Google and Apple is not allowing GPS data collection with their contact tracing system is that they describe it as unstable, battery-draining workarounds. Also, iPhones and Android devices automatically turn off Bluetooth connections after some time to save battery and other reasons and users have to re-activate them again and again.
But there are also few software companies like Twenty that operate without the new Google-Apple tool. Their apps use both GPS and Bluetooth and are working fine. Another Canada-based software company also states that it has no plans to adopt to the new plans for its AB Trace Together app.
There are already lots of talks among many privacy experts regarding the bad effects of data exploitation. Amid such talks, Google and Apple also said that only one app per country will be allowed to use the contact system to avoid fragmentation and encourage wider adoption. However, they also stated that they would support countries that would opt for a state or regional approach and the U.S. states will be one of that.
