Coronavirus: What you need to know about the government’s contact-tracing app

The government’s coronavirus contact-tracing smartphone app is on its way. Here’s everything you need to know.

The government is working through security concerns associated with its coronavirus contact tracing smartphone app. Picture: AAP

The government is working through security concerns associated with its coronavirus contact tracing smartphone app as privacy questions are raised about the technology leaders are saying will help hasten the easing of social restrictions

The software is designed to help authorities track down anyone who has come into contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19, seeking to eliminate the risk of any forgotten interactions by recording the details of any two users of the app who come into contact with each other.

Scott Morrison has said Australia’s version of the contact tracing app has been modelled off a similar app introduced by the Singaporean government.

“We need to lift (contact tracing) to an industrial capability and we need to do that using technology and we need to do that as soon as we possibly can and we will be needing the support of Australians” the Prime Minister said at a press conference on April 16.

“If we can get that in place, if we can get our tracing capability up from where it is, then that is going to give us more options and Australians more freedoms.

“It is a complex area, but it is a tool that Australia will need if we are to pursue the road out of this that we would like to pursue,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison has confirmed the app will remain voluntary, and in an attempt to further allay privacy concerns, the government has agreed to release the code for the app publicly to illustrate how it works and what data it collects.

While there is no set launch date, it is expected to be released within weeks, as the Attorney-General, the Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre, the Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner and other experts work through legal and security issues.

Here is everything we know so far about the COVID-19 tracing app.

Why is the government releasing a contact tracing app?

• On April 16, Scott Morrison said Australia must reach an “industrial capability” of contact tracing, as one of three requirements to be achieved before social restrictions can be lifted.

How does it work?

• The app will use Bluetooth to communicate with other smartphones that have the app installed.

• If two smartphones come within 1.5 metres of each other, and spend 15 minutes in that proximity, an interaction or “digital handshake” will be recorded on each phone.

What data is collected?

• Each interaction recording includes a user’s name, contact number, age range, and postcode.

• Contact data is encrypted and stored only on each phone.

• According to a spokesman from Government Services Minister Stuart Robert’s office, the location of where an interaction took place is not recorded, nor is any other geographic data recorded by the app.

What happens if someone with the app contracts COVID-19?

• When a user of the app is diagnosed with COVID-19, the list of other users they have interacted with that is stored on the app is entered into a government database.

• State and territory health authorities will notify every recorded contact that they have been in the proximity of a confirmed COVID-19 patient and should get tested and seek medical advice.

Who can access the data recorded?

• According to a spokesman from Government Services Minister Stuart Robert’s office, all contact tracing data remains encrypted on a user’s smartphone unless they are diagnosed with COVID-19.

• Once a user is diagnosed and their data is entered into a contact tracing database, only state and territory health authorities will be able to access the database.

• A user will not be able to see a list of, or any information about, the users the app has recorded them as having interacted with.

Will the app be mandatory?

• According to Scott Morrison, it will not be mandatory. He said it will follow a consent model even if uptake of the app is below government expectations.

• Mr Morrison was forced to clarify comments about this, taking to Twitter to insist it will remain voluntary.

How many people have to download it?

• Government estimates suggest 40 per cent of Australians will need to download the app for it to be effective, but Government Services Minister Stuart Robert is encouraging as many Australians as possible to download it to “allow us to get back to life quicker”.

Will it be available on my smartphone?

• According to a spokesman from Government Services Minister Stuart Robert’s office, the application will be available for iPhone and Android devices.