We trying to understand how technology can help us in the problems we are having in the face of the COVID-19 epidemic. We will surely see something about it during the Keynote presentation of WWDC2020, but Apple teamed up with Google to track those infected and alert everyone who has been in their vicinity. Now we have the first request from an official body to Apple and Google to take the reins and assure their users that they use the appropriate methods to protect against COVID-19. New York City just asked Apple and Google to block third-party apps that ensure COVID-19 tracking.
The New York Attorney General Letitia James, and it is precisely New York that has been one of the most affected cities in the world, for that reason and after accepting the technology of Apple and Google to fight against COVID-19, have asked that these companies be the ones also take charge of blocking third-party apps that "sell" this same function. For a user to search the App Store for COVID-19, or Coronavirus, and find apps, only leads to confusion and problems ...
- Ensure that only official applications can collect sensitive health information, COVID-19 test results at the time.
- Ban apps from using personal information for targeted ads.
- Prohibit third-party applications from identifying to the users.
- Limit third-party apps to keep 14 days of data and require them to remove them at the user's request.
As you know, it is governments that have to decide on one technology or another. Citizens have to accept its use and it has to be as massive as possible to be effective. For now the tests that have been carried out in some countries have not been effective, so let's see what happens in the future ...