The arrival of the health crisis caused by COVID-19 set off alarms around the world. Thousands of factories changed their production to offer sanitary supplies and other companies dedicated themselves to developing online detection tools, among other actions. Apple decided to create a COVID-19 detection tool thanks to your collaboration with The White House, CDC, and FEMA. A few hours ago, Apple updated its tool allowing the user share the data in an aggregated and anonymous way with health authorities. The goal: to improve understanding of the pandemic, the symptoms and the spread of the virus.
Anonymous and Aggregated Data: Key to Sharing COVID-19 Data
If you choose to share your responses, you will provide them to Apple in a way that does not personally identify you. Apple will provide reports to the CDC and approved state public health agencies. Only information that has been anonymized and aggregated will be provided to CDC and state public health agencies. This means that information that could identify you or your individual responses to the tool will not be included. Information about the pre-existing symptoms you select will also not be shared; only the total number of symptoms you select.
La Apple's COVID-19 Screening Tool It has been created in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The tool goes through, through a series of questions, the user symptoms and thanks to an algorithm that is improved weekly, the user is offered indications based on whether or not they may have COVID-19.
Currently, the data that we entered on the platform was not shared with any public body. Now, after the update by Apps, it is reported that The user can voluntarily share the questionnaire data with the corresponding health agencies. Before completing the "test", we will be indicated by a screen whether or not we want to share this data with the United States government. This data, according to Apple, is only sent if it has been previously added. In no case will they be correlated with any name or identifier that allows the identity of the user to be revealed.
This data shared with the United States health agencies will allow them to improve the tool and obtain information for the management of the pandemic, according to information provided by Apple.
CDC and approved state public health agencies may only use the information to improve the tool and for purposes related to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, CDC and state public health agencies must adhere to privacy and security protections, including no further disclosure of information and implementing appropriate safeguards.