SAN FRANCISCO: Google and Apple unveiled a joint initiative on Friday (Saturday in Manila) to use smartphones to trace coronavirus contacts to battle the global pandemic. The move brings together the largest mobile operating systems in an effort to use smartphone technology to track and potentially contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak. Smartphones powered by Apple software and a Google-backed Android operating system would be able to exchange information with a joint “opt in system.”The tech giants will collaborate on a “contact tracing” system that can identify people in contact with an infected person and alert users. Apple and Google said they would work together in the coming months to use standard Bluetooth capabilities relied on by wireless devices, such as earbuds, to be used to let handsets exchange information. Apple and Google contended that “privacy, transparency and consent” were top priorities in the joint initiative.

Source: Manila Times April 11, 2020 16:21 UTC