The Handelot Times
Tracing Apps for Covid19: australians lead the way, Apple and Google follow
WHY ARE THERE DOUBTS ABOUT CONTACT SEARCH APPS?
Over a million Australians have downloaded a coronavirus contact finder within hours of the government’s release.
The COVIDSafe smartphone app uses a Bluetooth wireless signal to exchange a “digital handshake” with another user when they are 1.5m (4.9 feet) away. The application then registers this contact and encrypts it.
Users will be notified if they have had more than 15 minutes of close contact with another user who has tested positive.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that social restrictions could be eased if enough people were using the app. The government said that for maximum efficiency, about 40% of the population should dump it.
The rest of this article is in the magazine
Continue in issue 19
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