Apple, Google release COVID tech

The government is yet to confirm whether it will integrate the tech giants’ joint efforts into its own COVIDSafe app.

An iPhone device displays the CovidSafe app released by the Australian government on Tuesday, April 29, 2019. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

The Federal Government faces pressure to get its COVIDSafe app working properly after Apple and Google today released an alternative software system that will let countries easily create their own coronavirus contact tracing apps.

Apple and Google’s “Exposure Notification System” lets public health agencies across the world use their application programming interfaces (API) and built in functionality to easily build their own contact tracing app over the top.

The Australian Government however decided not to adopt this system, but instead built its own contact tracing system based on Singapore’s TraceTogether app.

This has left it with significant extra development work, bugs and a nagging issue with COVIDSafe’s Bluetooth not working properly on iPhones unless the app runs in the foreground.

Contact tracing apps use Bluetooth wireless technology to detect when someone who downloaded the app has spent time near another app user who later tests positive for the virus.

Apple and Google say that some US states and an additional 22 countries on five continents have asked for and received access to the API with more expected to join in the coming weeks.

“We are pleased to begin shipping this first phase of our Exposure Notification System and look forward to working with PHAs (public health authorities) to develop and improve the system so that we achieve their goal of broad user adoption with this privacy-forward approach,” Google and Apple representatives say.

However the technology from Apple and Google won't be available in Australia unless the government decides to integrate it into the COVIDSafe app.

A spokesman for Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said the government’s Digital Transformation Agency and the Department of Health had been working with Apple and Google to understand and test the Exposure Notification Framework since it was released to see how it can be applied in Australia. “That testing is ongoing,” the spokesman said.

In a briefing on Thursday Apple and Google said its system addresses several challenges that contact tracing apps haven’t solved. They include the stability of Bluetooth, the ability of an iPhone’s Bluetooth to link properly with the Bluetooth on Android phones, and battery drain.

Apple and Google use a decentralised data collection system which privacy experts say offers better privacy than apps that require a centralised data handling system as Australia’s does.

Representatives of the two companies say the functionality of the apps will only be available to public health authorities, with one app being supported per country.

Governments and health authorities can use the application planning interfaces to short circuit their own development time rather than create all functionality themselves.

Countries can choose what constitutes a COVID-19 exposure event (in Australia’s case that’s 15 minutes exposure at less than 1.5 metres apart). The definition may differ country by country.

Countries also can define the number of exposure events an individual has had – which determines the level of messaging they will receive and the “factor transmission risk” of positive cases.

Countries can also tailor their own apps by defining these details and users can voluntarily choose to make their data available to public health authorities.

The two companies say they have further enhanced privacy and security and have released source code.

Apple and Google say users have to agree to public exposure notifications and can opt to turn them off. There will be no targeted advertising and the Bluetooth capability is not combined with location tracking.

The companies say their software will make it easy for countries to get their apps up-and-running quickly.

They say that their platform addresses the issue of Bluetooth working on iPhones, but add there are technical challenges when Bluetooth is used by other apps during contact tracing.

They say they will require countries to make data collection of user details such as names and mobile numbers optional.

They will seek to make the system available to Android phones that use variants of Android (such as Oppo’s Color OS and Samsung phones), although there may be legal constraints on achieving this. This is an important issue given the high proportion of Samsung and other Android branded phones that don’t use standard Android.

The two companies say they have contacted public health officials, scientists, privacy groups and government leaders across the world for their input and guidance. “What we’ve built is not an app — rather public health agencies will incorporate the API into their own apps that people install,” the spokespeople said.

“Our technology is designed to make these apps work better. Each user gets to decide whether or not to opt-in to Exposure Notifications; the system does not collect or use location from the device; and if a person is diagnosed with COVID-19, it is up to them whether or not to report that in the public health app.

“User adoption is key to success and we believe that these strong privacy protections are also the best way to encourage use of these apps. Today, this technology is in the hands of public health agencies across the world who will take the lead and we will continue to support their efforts.”

The federal government also is under pressure to increase the take-up of COVIDSafe. Despite its advertising blitz, there’s been only 5,947,000 registrations of the app as at Thursday night.

The Australian has revealed that while the government originally cited a goal of 40pc of the population (10 million) to use it, its rhetoric has shifted to coverage of 40pc of adult phone users.

“The Chief Medical Officer made the point that there are about 18 million Australians over the age of 18 and 83 per cent have a mobile device,” Mr Robert said at a doorstop on the Gold Coast early this week. “So of 16 million, 40 per cent is around 6.2 million.”

The government's official figure on Thursday night is 5.9m registrations which isn’t far from 6.2 m registrations, but this target means more than 18 million Australians won’t be using the app, which would eat into its effectiveness.

There is solace for the government in the Apple-Google platform because a future version of its platform won’t require users to even download an app. In countries that adopt it, contact tracing will be built into the operating system and users will be invited to activate the functionality.

As The Australian reported on Wednesday Salesforce launched a new coronavirus data platform to giving businesses the tools to track the spread of COVID-19, but the developers say it isn't designed to replace the Australian government's efforts.

UPDATE

Health Minister Greg Hunt later met with Apple representatives to discuss the app. It is understood Apple requested the meeting to discuss the app, its health road map, screening tools and wearable devices.

It is understood Apple and the government will hold more technical ongoing discussions on both the Google/Apple platform and Bluetooth, as they apparently have throughout the development of the app.

It seems the government wants to stay with its version of a contact saving app as it believes it gives public health officials confidence that cases are followed up to minimise the risk of a spread of the virus. Apple and Google’s system requires someone identified as a contact of an infected person to initiate contact with health professionals, whereas COVIDSafe lets health workers quickly make that contact.

Mr Hunt’s spokesman said Victorian public health officials had used the COVIDSafe app to identify a close contact of an infected person who otherwise was not detected through regular contact tracing.

“Its health protection value has already been demonstrated,” Mr Hunt said.

Department of Health Chief Information Officer, Daniel Keys said the department was continuing to enhance the app’s Bluetooth operation on iPhones and “it is working as designed”.