• Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Eat Out
  • Events
  • Podcasts
ABOUT
Advertise in GAT
Contact us
Monday, March 27, 2023
Georgia Asian Times
International Insurance of Georgia
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Eat Out
  • Events
  • Podcasts
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Eat Out
  • Events
  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
Georgia Asian Times
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Eat Out
  • Events
  • Podcasts
Home Business

Apple, Google to create contact tracing technology to fight coronavirus spread

Georgia Asian Times by Georgia Asian Times
April 10, 2020
in Business, Headline, Lifestyle
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Cupertino, April 10, 2020 – Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday that they will work together to create contact tracing technology that aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus by allowing users to opt into a system that catalogs other phones they have been near.

The rare collaboration between the two Silicon Valley companies, whose operating systems power 99% of the world’s smartphones, could accelerate usage of apps that aim to get potentially infected individuals into testing or quarantine more quickly and reliably than existing systems in much of the world.

The companies said they started developing technology two weeks ago to allow mobile devices to trade information via Bluetooth connections to alert people when they have been in close proximity with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the sometimes deadly respiratory disease associated with the novel coronavirus.

The technology will first be available in mid-May as software tools available to contact tracing apps endorsed by public health authorities, with Apple and Google approving use of the tools. However, Apple and Google also plan to release software updates in the coming months so that users do not have to download any apps to begin logging nearby phones.

AD: High Museum of Atlanta

The companies said the technology will not track the location or identity of users, but instead will only capture data about when users’ phones have been near each other, with data being decrypted on the user’s phone rather than the companies’ servers. GPS location data is not part of the effort, the companies said.

Governments worldwide have been scrambling to develop or evaluate software meant to improve the normally labor-intensive process of contact tracing, in which health officials go to recent contacts of an infected person and ask them to self-quarantine or get tested. While health experts have credited extensive testing and contact tracing with slowing the spread of the virus in nations such as South Korea, privacy experts have questioned whether users in the U.S. and Europe would adopt digital contact tracing.

Several health technology experts have said the involvement of Apple and Google would be a massive boost to their efforts, as contact tracing apps from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others struggled to make their apps work across competing operating systems.

Health experts say that contact tracing and measures to isolate those who have come into contact with infected people will need to be in place to ensure that the virus does not surge back after lockdowns are lifted. But the traditional tracing process is labor intensive and unreliable, requiring health officials to interview people about whom they’ve been in close contact with.

When the system becomes part of users’ phones, they will need to opt-in to use it. They will need to consult with healthcare officials if they either test positive for COVID-19 and want to broadcast that fact to others, or if they receive a notification they have been close to someone who tested positive and need information on what to do next.

However, it was unclear whether the move by Google and Apple would generate global coverage with the technology. Google said the technology will be distributed as part of its Google Play services, which are not available in China or on Android devices that do not use Google’s official version of the operating system.

Apple will distribute the technology as an update to its operating system, which many users enable automatically but not all. – Reuters

Previous Post

Inside Trump’s standoff with South Korea over defense costs

Next Post

First Asian American Judge Sworn in Georgia’s Supreme Court

Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times

Related Posts

Powell: Fed to keep rates higher for longer to cut inflation
Business

Fed raises key rate by quarter-point despite bank turmoil

March 22, 2023
Duran Duran to reunite with ex-bandmate Andy Taylor on new project
Lifestyle

Duran Duran to reunite with ex-bandmate Andy Taylor on new project

March 22, 2023
Google hopes ‘Bard’ will outsmart ChatGPT, Microsoft in AI
Business

Google’s artificially intelligent ‘Bard’ set for next stage

March 22, 2023
Review: John Wick gets even more stylish in fourth episode
Lifestyle

Review: John Wick gets even more stylish in fourth episode

March 22, 2023
Business

Amazon cuts 9,000 more jobs, bringing 2023 total to 27,000

March 20, 2023
Beloved and debated, French bulldog becomes top US dog breed
Lifestyle

Beloved and debated, French bulldog becomes top US dog breed

March 15, 2023
Next Post

First Asian American Judge Sworn in Georgia's Supreme Court

Signup Free E-Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Apr 7
8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) 2023

May 6
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

GAT AAPI Summit 2023

Jul 14
6:00 pm - 10:30 pm

GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia 2023

View Calendar
Logo

 

CONTACT US

Follow Us

MOST INFLUENTIAL

GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans Gala celebrates Asian voice

GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans Gala celebrates Asian voice

July 18, 2022

Video highlights of GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia

July 17, 2022

2022 GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia-Awards Gala

July 17, 2022

LINKS OF INTEREST

ATL Asian Film Festival

     

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise in GAT
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

© 2023 Georgia Asian Times - Empowered by 8SOL. Managed by Arckopolis.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Eat Out
  • Events
  • Podcasts

© 2023 Georgia Asian Times - Empowered by 8SOL. Managed by Arckopolis.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe

Stop scrolling through endless social media feeds for news. Sign up for our website FREE Newsletter and get news that matters to you. We filter out fluff, so you don’t have to.

    Loading
    Loading
    Loading
    Loading
    Loading
    Register for FREE to read the rest of this article, or log in to your account.

      Or Login Here :

      Login

      Are you sure want to unlock this post?
      Unlock left : 0
      Are you sure want to cancel subscription?