German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is “ready” to use the technology if it is effective against the COVID-19 virus.
It is about the use of mobile phones and bluetooth technology, even in the face of the restriction of using the personal data of its citizens.
According to official figures, Germany is one of the European countries with the fewest infections; it has less than 900 deaths, thanks to its large-scale test policy, which is why it has not forced them to implement strict confinement as countries like France, Italy or Spain do.
As reported by AFP, the government is already preparing the next phase with the possible easing of social distancing measures and the closure of public places at the end of this month.
In March, the government already had to backtrack on its plan to use citizens’ personal data.
Under that plan, mobile phone operators have reportedly provided the data of some 46 million of their customers in Germany to identify the contacts of sick people.
A measure however considered intolerable by many in this country, marked by espionage and control by the Nazi regime and later by the Stasi, the East German political police.
Finally, the government decided to propose another device that would be based on volunteering.
The project would be based on an application that would store for 15 days, without geolocation and guaranteeing data protection, user interactions thanks to bluetooth technology, which transforms the phone into a signal transmitter and receiver.
If a person is infected, the application would send a signal (“push”) to all the people with whom it crossed in the previous two weeks to warn of the risk of contagion.
Only people who had downloaded the application would receive the warning of the danger of contagion. On the other hand, the anonymity of the patient would be guaranteed.
(With information from AFP)
