Misleading: Apple and Google have inserted the COVID-19 tracker on every phone.

By: Varun Kumar
June 29 2020

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Exposure Notification, an API built by Google and Apple, is only a software intermediary within a device and it cannot act as a sensor by itself. A message, 'Covid19 sensor inserted into every phone,' is circulating on social media, alarming people and raising fears about smartphone companies violating individual privacy and data security without their consent. Exposure Notification, a joint Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing Project by Apple and Google, was created to assist with contact tracing, while prioritizing user safety and data privacy. The Exposure Notification API can assist local contact tracing apps, but only if you turn on the API and download the contact tracing app. It works on Bluetooth that will allow a participating app to function once it becomes available and installed. It is a base framework provided by Google and Apple and is useless without an app. It allows users to take part in digital contact tracing and help minimize the spread of the infectious disease. We can choose not to use exposure notifications and opt-out voluntarily. Also, the current system cannot be misused as it does nothing without one's permission, and no one can install an app to the device remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.