Cid
Proper break this time
Yeah, but the point here is why that might be. There is nothing innate to the UK character that makes us less trusting of government interference.
UK coronavirus tracking app - discussion
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Yeah, but the point here is why that might be. There is nothing innate to the UK character that makes us less trusting of government interference.
newbie
undisambiguated
I'm afraid I haven't read the thread but a reasonably recent Google service called 'Covid-19 exposure notifications' has somehow appeared in Settings on my phone but that term doesn't get any hits here or anywhere else on Urban. There's an explanation here, but the thing itself talks about opting in to a participating app. Is there such a thing?
baldrick
hmmmmm
Have they? The monitoring yes but not communication. Most of the complaints in general about this whole situation have been about inadequate communications.
I think setting up a system for people to receive covid related notifications is separate from the T&T stuff. I would have signed up to a system that sends notifications about outbreaks and such in my local area and government advice (as shit as that that advice has been).
I've signed up to the symptom tracker app and use that every day. As it stands I wouldn't sign up to an app that tracks my location.
I do wonder myself about the efficacy of a system that relies on people answering the phone. I don't answer unknown numbers and I don't answer calls while I'm at work generally, unless I'm expecting one. Surely a web form type thing could have worked just as well?
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
There is web reporting as well, but there's a not insignificant number of people with poor access or limited ability to use that, so phone contact as the mainstay is the only option.
AverageJoe
...
Without derailing (hopefully), if this Covid app can be placed in our phones and hidden away without us noticing, then surely its possible for them to upload stuff from our phones without us noticing too?
Thats quite concerning isn't it?
Thats quite concerning isn't it?
Supine
Newt Member
gov didn’t want to use Apple/Google because they demanded a certain level of user security.
AverageJoe
...
But in theory (and this is only in theory), let's say that I have been on the police radar for something but they have no evidence. They could upload a dodgy WhatsApp that a mate sent, check my phones EMEI and get my address, pop round and arrest me for possession of illegal porn and then work onwards from there to what they originally wanted me for?
I mean, it wouldn't happen to me, but I bet there's a lot of people out there who are innocently sharing Britain First/Muslim Extremist/Thay Kind Of Thing videos, porn, extreme violence etc via WhatsApp and once it's viewed its saved to your phone.
Before this obvious show of capability that the government can place stuff on your phone, surely they could now enter a person's phone, upload something they deem illegal, arrest and charge you with possession of x and build a criminal profile of you.
It's pretty far reaching even if your innocent as you'll have a criminal record which would affect your future job moves, credit rating and the ability to ultimately make any decisions regarding your future.
Im being paranoid aren't I. I'd like to think Yes I Am, but the more this year goes on I'm starting to think that I might not be. Nothing seems too wierd now
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
I read an article - and sorry, I don't have the energy to go and hunt for it - that speculated that this was the very reason the current SK govt had worked so well during the pandemic. The public doesn't trust them, but they did manage to get a corrupt President put in jail; the current govt are working really, really hard to regain some trust and had been before Covid. There's a lot of open govt as a consequence.
It is a little bit of a problem, TBH. I've had a lot of calls from unknown mobiles lately and they're NHS workers using mobile phones (hopefully not their personal ones, but still mobile phone numbers) following up on things related to my health (rheumatology, cardiology, etc). I don't generally answer calls from phone numbers I don't know. The first couple, I texted back asking who they were, and they responded saying who they were, and I answered when they called again.
Even the landline numbers a couple of them have called from have not been hospital landline numbers.
It's not surprising when people don't answer their phones to an unknown number. Generally that's what we're supposed to do - ignore the call, look it up, maybe text them back.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
No, that's not what's happened. But the State being able to mess with certain people's phones isn't a new revelation. But this is nothing to do with that.
Mation
real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
There's also:
a solid technical answer but it could fail in practice because of non-engineering (e.g. social) issues like its success being anathema to anyone favouring pre-vaccine herd immunity.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
Guess this could have gone in a few threads, but stuck it here as it is testing related....
So, my partner has been doing a daily symptom tracker app. She's been feeling slightly under the weather this last week, dodgy stomach and generally a bit meh. No CV symptoms though, and no way did we think it was that. Anyway, she got an email saying she should get a test.
So she got the email yesterday at 1540hrs. Went straight on the .gov website, got a slot for a test at a local centre (had various options for location and drive in or walk in) for 1630hrs. Went there and got the test within 5 minutes. So, less than an hour from being told to get the test to actually getting it. Then today at 1100hrs got texted and emailed the results, negative.
Less than 24 hours from being told to get the test to getting texted and emailed the results. Anyway, that's a pretty fucking great efficient service I think. Obviously if it had been positive then she'd be contacted by the T&T systems too.
So, my partner has been doing a daily symptom tracker app. She's been feeling slightly under the weather this last week, dodgy stomach and generally a bit meh. No CV symptoms though, and no way did we think it was that. Anyway, she got an email saying she should get a test.
So she got the email yesterday at 1540hrs. Went straight on the .gov website, got a slot for a test at a local centre (had various options for location and drive in or walk in) for 1630hrs. Went there and got the test within 5 minutes. So, less than an hour from being told to get the test to actually getting it. Then today at 1100hrs got texted and emailed the results, negative.
Less than 24 hours from being told to get the test to getting texted and emailed the results. Anyway, that's a pretty fucking great efficient service I think. Obviously if it had been positive then she'd be contacted by the T&T systems too.
baldrick
hmmmmm
Yeah that is really good. Glad it turned out negative. I had a test at the start of May, apart from a bit of faffing with booking it (I had to get my boss to organise a booking code as it was still only for keyworkers at that point) and someone rear ending us as we drove out of the test centre 
we got the result in about 36 hours after waiting a day for a test slot. So things are obviously getting pretty efficient now if you can get your result back in the same time it took me to book a test.
we got the result in about 36 hours after waiting a day for a test slot. So things are obviously getting pretty efficient now if you can get your result back in the same time it took me to book a test.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
The problem with that symptom tracker ap is that if you have certain long-term conditions you will almost always come up as needing a test.
Good news
My oncologist said that the current tests are approx 50% accurate which is a bit alarming.
Boudicca
Seaside Queen
I got tested when I went into hospital for day surgery. They proudly told me that it only took three hours to get the result and then didn't bother to give it to me. I think I can safely assume it was negative as it would have caused a bit of a kerfuffle if not.
mauvais
on reddit or something
The activity on their Github is not representative of what's going on, i.e. the team did work privately and then the project manager uploaded it to Git, which is sensible since if I were working on the thing, I'd really not want the attention.
magneze
🎧
The truth is somewhere in between those figures. Neither are remotely accurate.
e2a: I'm talking about the actual cost - I can well believe the government being charged £11.8m sadly.
2hats
Dust.
Is it true that the well known liar Johnson has claimed that no country has a functioning app?
Have a guess at the answer.
2hats
Dust.
That very much depends on what each of them set out to do.
mauvais
on reddit or something
True.
seems like the UK's not the only government struggling to realise any benefit from their track & trace app.
in the 3 weeks since France's app was launched on June 2nd, only 1.9 million people have downloaded it out of a population of 67 million. resulting in a grand total of 14 notifications being sent to people identified to be at risk of the covid.
www.politico.eu
nul point?
in the 3 weeks since France's app was launched on June 2nd, only 1.9 million people have downloaded it out of a population of 67 million. resulting in a grand total of 14 notifications being sent to people identified to be at risk of the covid.
French contact-tracing app sent just 14 notifications after 2 million downloads
Only 68 people entered a positive COVID-19 test result on the app, says France’s junior minister for digital affairs.
www.politico.eu
nul point?
seems like the UK's not the only government struggling to realise any benefit from their track & trace app.
in the 3 weeks since France's app was launched on June 2nd, only 1.9 million people have downloaded it out of a population of 67 million. resulting in a grand total of 14 notifications being sent to people identified to be at risk of the covid.
French contact-tracing app sent just 14 notifications after 2 million downloads
Only 68 people entered a positive COVID-19 test result on the app, says France’s junior minister for digital affairs.
nul point?
Yeah, I don't think many government tracking apps are going to prove successful.
I think whats particularly galling with the UK situation is that the government insisted on having a UK specific one for reasons they wouldn't tell anyone and than continued with it even when they were being told it would never be able to work on Apple. This is on top of them conflating the app with a general track and trace system. You see it on this thread which is supposed to about the app but a lot of the discussion is about track and trace. This is not surprising given the government message for a long time.
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
Well Scotland has launched their 'Protect Scotland' app, so WTF are they UK government up too? 
I remember some posts suggesting people will report they have covid for a laugh, or whatever stupid reason, but that can't happen with this app, as you have to enter a code, which you are only given if you test positive.
I remember some posts suggesting people will report they have covid for a laugh, or whatever stupid reason, but that can't happen with this app, as you have to enter a code, which you are only given if you test positive.
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