A few days ago Apple and Google released updates to their operating systems to integrate the Tracking API for COVID-19. After weeks of work we can conclude that this contact tracing API has ended and countries around the world can start integrating it into their applications. One of the first examples is Immuni, the Italian app that uses notification of exposure to COVID-19 included in the API created by Google and Apple. This app only available in Italy It has reached more than 2 million users in 4 Italian regions and it is expected that by the end of June all Italians will be able to access it.
Notification for exposure to COVID-19 arrives in Italy with Immuni
Immuni is the official exposure notification application of the Italian government, developed by the Extraordinary Commissioner for the COVID-19 Emergency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Innovation, Technology and Digitization. In the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, the application aims to notify users at risk of carrying the virus as soon as possible, even when they are asymptomatic. By receiving an early warning, these users can also contact their general practitioner immediately and reduce the risk of serious consequences.
The Italian government has definitively launched Immuni, your app to track COVID-19 contacts. As we have commented, they have made use of the exposure notification option available in the Google and Apple API. The application is available in the Play Store and in the App Store and has been initially deployed in four regions. The Italian government is expected to roll out the application to the rest of the country at the end of June.
There was great fear due to the number of downloads of the app since there was a critical sector that doubted the legality of the application in relation to its privacy. However, it has been seen that the level of concern has been decreasing with the increase in downloads. In addition, when you enter Immuni for the first time we receive a notice with 8 information points:
- A minimal amount of data is collected
- Bluetooth Low Energy usage is randomly generated and no phone or user information is stored. The code that is transmitted through this technology changes from time to time.
- Saved data is encrypted
- Connections are encrypted
- All data is deleted when it is not relevant before December 31, 2020
- The Italian Ministry of Health is the body that collects the data
- The data is stored on Italian servers managed by public bodies