National COVID-19 exposure server could alert people across states
COVID-19 contact tracing apps will only be effective across borders if states and countries can readily share data, and a collaboration could soon make that happen in the US. iMore reports that Apple, Google, and Microsoft are working with the Association of Public Health Laboratories to launch a national server to store keys and help exposure notifications reach people across states. It would be based around Apple and Google’s exposure alert framework, while Microsoft and APHL would host the server.
The move could harmonize apps across the country and help people who travel across state lines. It could also help “eliminate duplication” and save states the cost and time involved with setting up their own servers, the APHL said.
The group didn’t provide a timeline for when the server would be ready. It may also take tracing app developers time to implement the server.
This could be crucial to a recovery from the virus as travel restrictions ease. However, it does raise privacy issues. The Apple/Google approach exists in part to decentralize exposure info and protect any sensitive data. It might be harder to protect data concentrated on one server. APHL said it would “securely” store the data, but this might prove a tempting target even if the keys don’t reveal much.
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