Apple and Google have collaborated to come up with a contact tracing software. Both Apple and Google, who are merely rivals in the technology field, have declared in April 2020 that they would cooperate together for the purpose of helping the government track the spread of COVID-19 through the use of Bluetooth technology. Both companies aim to develop a feature called ‘API’. This feature will be granted to public health authorities who would be able to integrate the feature with an app on both IOS and Android phones. This application will be able to track who is carrying the virus around you.

As for the future, Apple and Google plan on reaching the target of being able to notify users whether they have been exposed to the coronavirus without the need to open the application.

This has raised concerns regarding privacy issues, as people were concerned about the tracking system and whether this could be a governmental tool with an ulterior motive. However, Apple and Google have developed guidelines to protect user privacy such as: the software will strictly be used for health authorities, user consent is strictly required, and once the tracking is no longer needed it can be disabled.

It almost seems like the world has fast worded to 2050!

By: Lana Fadel

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