Protect Scotland contact tracing app taps Apple-Google Exposure Notification system

AppleInsider

Scotland this week became the latest European country to roll out a coronavirus contact tracing app built on Apple and Google's Exposure Notification system.

Called Protect Scotland the free app is an opt-in coronavirus tracking measure administered by NHS Scotland's Test and Protect program.

Like other apps utilizing the Exposure Notification framework, Protect Scotland operates in the background and uses Bluetooth to exchange anonymous, encrypted identifiers with other devices running the app. When the app discovers another user, it records the distance between devices and the length of time they were in contact with each other.

The solution does not store data on central servers run by Apple or Google, but instead silos anonymized Bluetooth beacons on user devices until participants elect to share the information with an outside party.

If a user tests positive for coronavirus, they can input a test code assigned by a contact tracer into the app. This will trigger transmission of an automated notification to other app users who came in contact with the infected person.

Protect Scotland also includes a feature that enables users to share the app with friends and family, hopefully boosting adoption rates.

Scotland's launch follows similar digital contact tracing efforts from a number of countries around the world. As of mid-August, some 16 countries including Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Uruguay were using the Apple-Google API.

While international support has been relatively strong, U.S. states have been slow to adopt the Exposure Notification system. Only six states currently use the API, while another two are expected to launch compatible apps in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, Colorado announced upcoming support for Exposure Notification Express, technology that allows owners of iOS and Android smartphones to participate in contact tracing efforts without downloading a dedicated app. The new protocol was pushed out to iPhone users with the release of iOS 13.7 last week.

JWSC

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

fred1

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

I couldn’t agree more. I fear for the false sense of security it gives. 

michelb76

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

Apps like these have been successful in other countries, even with relatively low adoption.

mvmaastricht

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

Too early to judge. Besides the fact that the effort is indeed noble, it’s also a relatively privacy safe way to contact tracing. Once people get informed about the technology behind it, there’s a change that people are willing to install it. 

And the responsibility of getting people informed is one a government needs to take. 

I hope governments will be wise enough to do.

aderutter

The slow implementation has been startling, how have countries not got functioning apps yet?
Any competent country could have had an app live in the summer.
I agree many won’t install. I know people who give fallse contact details when they go to restaurants etc. due to fears of big-brother.
But, every bit helps surely. If it highlights a breakout or surge early or prevents only a few deaths it’s got to be worth it.

fred1

michelb76 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

Apps like these have been successful in other countries, even with relatively low adoption.

Can you give some examples of countries and adoption rates?

StrangeDays

fred1 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

I couldn’t agree more. I fear for the false sense of security it gives. 

What false sense of security? It doesn’t promise to prevent, it only becomes useful after it’s too late for you. I don’t see people doing anything more risky because of the promise of contact tracing. 

mr lizard

fred1 said:

michelb76 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

Apps like these have been successful in other countries, even with relatively low adoption.

Can you give some examples of countries and adoption rates?

Took literally three seconds to search the Internet for this: 

Australia: 21.6%

Turkey: 17.3%

Germany: 14.4%

India: 12.5%

Italy: 7.2%

Peru: 6.8%

Japan: 5%

Saudi Arabia: 4.9%
France: 3.1%

Indonesia: 2.3%

Source: Sensor Tower Store Intelligence, July 2020

mr lizard

StrangeDays said:

fred1 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

I couldn’t agree more. I fear for the false sense of security it gives. 

What false sense of security? It doesn’t promise to prevent, it only becomes useful after it’s too late for you. I don’t see people doing anything more risky because of the promise of contact tracing. 

Unfortunately there are idiots out there who will take the view that they can return to their normal life and do whatever they want and only stop once they get an exposure notification. 

fred1

StrangeDays said:

fred1 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

I couldn’t agree more. I fear for the false sense of security it gives. 

What false sense aof security? It doesn’t promise to prevent, it only becomes useful after it’s too late for you. I don’t see people doing anything more risky because of the promise of contact tracing. 

I’m referring to people like friends in Australia who told me, “We don’t have to worry about catching the virus since we have an app ton our phones that tell us if we’ve been in contact with someone who has it.”  No, it tells you if you’ve been in contact with someone who also has the app and knows that he or she has the virus and updated the app to say so.  These people thought they could be near anyone they wanted, unprotected, because the app would tell them if they were near someone who had the virus. And these are older people with serious health problems. 

fred1

mr lizard said:

fred1 said:

michelb76 said:

JWSC said:

All noble efforts that will come to nothing. Too many will not use these contact tracing apps, due to either lack of awareness or willful non-use.

Apps like these have been successful in other countries, even with relatively low adoption.

Can you give some examples of countries and adoption rates?

Took literally three seconds to search the Internet for this: 

Australia: 21.6%

Turkey: 17.3%

Germany: 14.4%

India: 12.5%

Italy: 7.2%

Peru: 6.8%

Japan: 5%

Saudi Arabia: 4.9%
France: 3.1%

Indonesia: 2.3%

Source: Sensor Tower Store Intelligence, July 2020

And this is your list of countries where the app has kept people safe? The virus is rampant in Turkey and France and India has the most cases per capita of any country!  Do you really believe that with as few as 21.6% of the population (the highest on your list, the others are much lower) that these apps will keep people safe??  Would you spend time in a crowd of people if you knew that only a fifth of the people were known not to have the virus and the rest a big maybe?