Anti COVID-ID App

I would like to generate interest in developing this idea for an app to stop COVID-19. There may be apps like this in development, but I am not aware of them. Because of the importance of the issue, I beleive the most important thing is to communicate the design to organizations that could develop it very rapidly, and provide the required database capacity.

The basic ideas are simple :
1. When users use the app their location is transmited at regular intevals.
2. This information is sent to a common database.
3. This information is used in the database to determine which users have come within virus range of each other.
4. Then if at a later date one of the users is determined by a medical authority to have COVID-19 then this information can be added to the database and used to warn other users who have come within in range of the infected user to get testing or self-isolate.

GPS and bluetooth could be used.

The benefits of the app are as follows :
1. Users who come within range of infected users can be warned to get tested or self-isolate.
2. Potentially, the information can be used by users to improve their social distancing practices.
3. The information on the the database can be used by investigators to trace the likely locations of infected sites. AI techniques could be used.

The amount of data to be stored may seem like a lot but only summary data needs to be retained, and only for a period of two weeks.

This follows similar tactics used in China to track people at public transport sites, with the difference that the using the app is voluntary.

The app would facilitate the sorts of investigations practiced in Singapore.

Cheers

Gerard

A lot has happened since I posted this. Google and Apple are putting out an app, and governments around the world are also. However, there apps are much more sophisticated than what I described. Their level of privacy protection is much higher. This apps will basically just exchange encrypted keys. Then if one of the parties is infected their keys are loaded on a server and the other's apps can detect that they have some of these keys, and may therefore be infected. But no personal data of any kind is stored. I believe these apps are completely safe.

The apps will use Bluetooth so that when 2 people are in the same immediate area each sends the other a secret key. Then later on if one of them gets the virus their secret keys are placed on a common database. Then others who have received their secret keys know that they have been in close contact with a person who has the virus, and knows that they should get tested. No location or personal information is used.

I can't put links in this post but here is an explanation in story form from the BBC :

1. Jane and John do not know each other but chat for 10 minutes in a park.
2. Their smartphones automatically exchange an anonymous code.
3. A few days later, John tests positive for Covid-19 and declares his status in an app
4. With consent Job's phone sends his anonymous key to a central database
5. Jane's phone downloads the central database and checks for matching key codes
6. Jane's phone alerts her that somebody she has met has tested positive
7. Jane therefore makes arrangements to get tested.

Sorry, but it can't protect you from Covid-19. But what it can do is let you if you may have been infected by others, and that, therefore, you should get tested. Early intervention may help.

There are different opinions on this. Similar apps may have worked in South Korea. A lot will depend on how many people take up the app. Google and Apple think that it can work, are in the process of building it into their phone operating systems.

Sorry I have not been replying to these posts. But events have moved on a lot, and my original post is not really relevant any more. In Australia we have a free app created by the government called "COVIDSafe". About 5 million people have downloaded it. It was produced by modifying an app from the Singaporean government. There are many such apps in use all around the world. Thanks for the comments.

In Australia we have an app created by the Australian government. It has not worked very well since not enough people use it, and it may have design issues. However, I still use it every day. I don't believe they are using it to collect data on people. So I am happy to use it.

This now is an old issue for me. If I could close it I would.