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Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

reuters.com

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Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#281

Post by azinman2 »

joe3774 wrote: post #280
azinman2 wrote: post #239

I have to say, working at Apple and knowing all the hard work that goes into this and making sure your data stays private while also being able to combat this disease, it's very frustrating to read a lot of the comments here. I can understand why the public is skeptical, but I feel like as a society we've swung so far away from institutional trust that now nothing good can actually emerge. The anti-vax movement is a…

is the private data PRISM safe?

All your data stays on your device. You only upload your random identifier if you test positive, as confirmed by a trusted health provider. I would worry much more about them if I were you. Personally I'm far more concerned about dying from COVID-19 than the government who already knows much about me abuses my health status of this virus.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#282

Post by eyelidlessness »

joe3774 wrote: post #280
azinman2 wrote: post #239

I have to say, working at Apple and knowing all the hard work that goes into this and making sure your data stays private while also being able to combat this disease, it's very frustrating to read a lot of the comments here. I can understand why the public is skeptical, but I feel like as a society we've swung so far away from institutional trust that now nothing good can actually emerge. The anti-vax movement is a…

is the private data PRISM safe?

No data is. You can't judge the security or privacy of a design based on people selling it out in secret.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#283

Post by ngngngng »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #259
azinman2 wrote: post #239

I have to say, working at Apple and knowing all the hard work that goes into this and making sure your data stays private while also being able to combat this disease, it's very frustrating to read a lot of the comments here. I can understand why the public is skeptical, but I feel like as a society we've swung so far away from institutional trust that now nothing good can actually emerge. The anti-vax movement is a…

I know people at Facebook who say the same thing, but at the end of the day, both companies only pay lip service to privacy in the way their products and services actually operate.

If we paint privacy as simply black or white, sure. But if there exist shades of grey in privacy than Apple and Facebook are on vastly different sides of the spectrum.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#284

Post by ngngngng »

agakshat wrote: post #207
karambir wrote: post #9

Will be interesting to see if they can ban Indian govt. app[1] which needs full location access(clarified)[3]. A lot of people like this app(including me) but also know government does not have good track record in securing private data. Previously Apple were made to bend their rules when India threatened to ban Apple devices if they don't allow TRAI Do Not Disturb app in 2018.[2] [1] https://play.google.com/store/ap…

As another commenter pointed out, if the app is not using the contact tracing framework developed by Google and Apple, then the app can basically do whatever it wants (mandate continuous location access etc.).

I don't think apps are allowed to do this on Android any more. You can designate that an app can only have location access while the app is open and in use.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#285

Post by ldp01 »

axoltl wrote: post #277
yters wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you so sure the data remains private? Has Apple never handed data over to the gov. for investigations criminal and otherwise? Some of the genetic companies hand data to the FBI. The reason is great and moral, tracking down serial killers and the like. But, still, regardless of how good the proximate reason, the overarching trend is not so great. And yes, I'm sure all the telecoms, hospitals, etc. also hand ov…

Apple complies with warrants, yes. Do you think they should not?

This just sounds like ad-hominem to me. How is this relevant to the truth of the statements in the parent comment?

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#286

Post by dntbnmpls »

azinman2 wrote: post #239

I have to say, working at Apple and knowing all the hard work that goes into this and making sure your data stays private while also being able to combat this disease, it's very frustrating to read a lot of the comments here. I can understand why the public is skeptical, but I feel like as a society we've swung so far away from institutional trust that now nothing good can actually emerge. The anti-vax movement is a…

> I can understand why the public is skeptical

You can understand the skepticism and yet equate the skeptical people to "anti-vax" movement? That's very sneaky of you.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#287

Post by afro88 »

valtism wrote: post #260
bjz_ wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Australian who has privacy concerns their government's COVIDSafe app (see https://github.com/vteague/contactTracing ), and hence not installing it, I'm really thankful that Apple and Google are pushing this model of contact tracing. We still don't know if digital contact tracing is effective in practice, but it's still important to try, but we can do this in a way that avoids giving governments with worrying au…

COVIDSafe will be using these new APIs.

Have you got a link / source for this? Genuinely interested, not being a dick.

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#289

Post by ksml »

nitinreddy88 wrote: post #288

Good luck implementing it in other side of the world (India). You can't refuse if Govt mandates it. So what's the point in Apple and Google wants to control Privacy. I can trust Govt more than Greedy Private companies.

Just curious: why do you feel you trust your government more than "greedy" private companies?

Re: Apple, Google ban location tracking in apps using their contact-tracing system

#290

Post by joshuamorton »

choppaface wrote: post #274
azinman2 wrote: post #239

I have to say, working at Apple and knowing all the hard work that goes into this and making sure your data stays private while also being able to combat this disease, it's very frustrating to read a lot of the comments here. I can understand why the public is skeptical, but I feel like as a society we've swung so far away from institutional trust that now nothing good can actually emerge. The anti-vax movement is a…

The anti-vax movement challenges science itself; the anti-Google/Apple movement challenges corporate-level ethics and human control over identity. You can independently reproduce experiments demonstrating the efficacy of medicine. You can’t reproduce the faith that you place in your own corporation.

While that might be an argument in general, the protocol Google and apple are working in is cryptographically secure. They provably can't back out data about you.
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