The COVID-19 pandemic has led various companies to think of a system that allows detecting contacts in order to track them. That is why a few months ago both Apple and Google agreed to create an exposure record for COVID-19. To make use of this function, simply download an application that governments must develop. From the Government of Spain they have already tested and launched an app that allows this tracking. We analyze it.
Currently this application is in a pilot plan in La Gomera. It will not be available nationally until August 10, 2020.
COVID Radar Operation
This application that is currently in both the App Store and the Play Store allows you to track contacts by COVID. In general, the Bluetooth function of each device is used to detect if you have been near a person who has tested positive. The best thing about this application is that you don’t have to do anything special to use it, just install it. When you run it, it will ask you for the necessary permissions to access Bluetooth connectivity. Once this is done you simply have to activate the ‘Radar COVID’ function so that it begins to trace the contacts.
The interface is quite simple, since in addition to finding this radar activation function, the exposure level will also be specified. That is, if it is detected that you have been in risk areas due to the influx or because you have simply been close to someone with a positive or symptomatic condition, the exposure will increase. The application will automatically send notices so that you are informed at all times of how exposed you are to COVID.
Obviously this application makes sense if there are many people who have it installed. In this way, your iPhone will be able to record the signals from other devices and create an exposure level as accurate as possible. This application is intended to facilitate the work of trackers that exist in each of the autonomous communities of Spain. It is about increasing the rate of infection tracking using new technologies, something that has had quite an effect. According to the data from the pilot test, the results are very satisfactory. The rate of contacts that could be tracked has been multiplied by two thanks to the application. This is very good news since COVID-19 can be controlled if all the contagions that exist as a result of an outbreak are known.
Within the application, you will also find a button that will allow you to communicate if you have tested positive for COVID-19. You have to get the most supportive side possible and always inform if you are a positive in the application so that in the end you can start tracking contacts.
Data privacy
One of the most delicate points that this application can have without a doubt is the privacy of the data that is treated. There is talk of confidential medical information and also location. The confidentiality and anonymity of the data is guaranteed at all times. In the application itself it is stated that no personal data such as name, address or age is collected. Nor are GPS location data stored so everything is stored and encrypted on the mobile device itself.
That is why there is no excuse for having this application installed. It doesn’t cost any kind of work and you can help end the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why we recommend its installation and use to know the level of exposure and ensure that you comply with all current sanitary measures.
