On Friday, Apple and Google announced an unprecedented collaboration to leverage smartphone technology to help trace and contain the spread of COVID-19.
The rare collaboration will open up their mobile operating systems to allow for the creation of advanced “contact-tracing” applications as contact tracing is one of the focused strategies for breaking transmission chains & controlling the spread of infection.
Contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy. We’re working with @sundarpichai & @Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency & consent. https://t.co/94XlbmaGZV
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 10, 2020
The apps would work by using the Bluetooth technology in smartphones. Both tech giants would also work on application programming interfaces or APIs to assist in enabling contact-tracing.
“Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders,” the companies wrote in their announcements.
Reportedly, this sophisticated technology will be available in May. However, in the coming months, both companies are planning to build the tracking technology directly into their underlying operating systems.
Earlier, the Singapore government also launched an app called ‘TraceTogether’ in order to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. This app has been described as a supplementary tool for its contact tracing efforts. It exchanges short-distance Bluetooth signals when its users are near one another.
It is worth mentioning that contact tracing involves identifying, assessing, and managing individuals who have been exposed to a disease to break the transmission chain. As it keeps the infection rate low, so it is an essential part of battling the epidemic on the ground.
