Apple and Google have announced their cooperation in developing technical tools to assist in the global fight against the spread of Coronavirus.
The two companies, ordinarily in competition, will cooperate in the development of Bluetooth technology to support Coronavirus exposure alerts. The companies' solution includes the release of application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices for apps by public health authorities.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) praised the companies' initiative, indicating that it appears to comply with data protection principles. The ICO noted that organizations that design and develop contact tracing apps are responsible for ensuring that the app complies with data protection law as it processes personal data. The ICO states that such technologies should employ robust security (including the use of encryption, and covering each stage of the data processing), data minimization and transparency and user control.
CLICK HERE to read the ICO's statement.
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