COVID-19: CECC defends legality of its smartphone systemBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday said that its smartphone contact registration system is legal and solely for contact tracing. Chinese-language media on Tuesday quoted two local health officials as saying that the registration system has limited use in contact tracing, as there is an enormous volume of data and the center is sometimes slow to provide it. The messages only show when the QR code was scanned, not details such as how long the people stayed at the venue, so that data must be obtained through precise contact tracing, Chen said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said that the system was launched to allow people to register more easily and to assist contact tracing personnel to locate where confirmed cases have been. Health officials use the data to identify locations that confirmed cases visited, find possible close contacts and conduct disinfection, he said.

Source: Taipei Times June 30, 2021 15:56 UTC