COVIDSafe App: The Facts

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So here are the facts regarding the COVIDSafe app:  

  • The app uses Bluetooth to make a series of ‘digital handshakes' in order to identify when two people with the app come 1.5m of one another for 15 minutes or more.  

  • The data collected is your name, age range, postcode, and mobile number. ▪️ Geolocation is not turned on.  

  • The government has delayed the release of the source code, over concerns that it might not be safe to do so. However, quite a few developers have "unpacked" the code already, and given it the thumbs up.  

  • The data is “securely encrypted and stored” on a user's phone for 21 days before being deleted, but true anonymity is unlikely.  

  • If a person is diagnosed they have to consent to the data being uploaded to Amazon Web Services, which has raised questions over access by US authorities.  

  • The government will introduce new laws next month to restrict access to state and territory health professionals and have issued a temporary determination under the Biosecurity Act to restrict data access.  

  • The limitations of the iOS app mean that you have to have the app open and the phone unlocked for it to work. It’s recommended to turn the power saving mode on so the screen dims, and you save battery life. Some are concerned of the security risk if the phone is stolen or lost, however, you can lock it via the Find iPhone app if that happens.   

  • Google and Apple are working on joint app that claims to be more secure that the centralised model the Australian, UK and French governments have favoured. Centralised meaning that the data from diagnosed people who opt to upload it is all stored in one central location. Some privacy experts believe that a decentralised app, where data is spread across multiple computers, offers greater protection against abuse and misuse of people’s data than apps which pull data into centralised pots. 

 

Many that are objecting may not realise how much privacy they are already giving up online. We couldn't resist the funny tongue in cheek video addressing those concerns by Michael Shafar.  

For others, it’s less about the privacy, but more about a mistrust in the government they feel has a bad track record.  

On the flipside, the question many advocates are asking is: “Is the price of losing some privacy worth saving lives?” 

Have you downloaded the COVIDSafe App? Or have you decided not too? Why not? Let us know!