No: I've got Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings in my head.
UK coronavirus tracking app - discussion
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
No: I've got Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings in my head.
gosub
~#
I'll be honest I don't trust the local NHS trust. When my mum got her 'Stage 4 cancer sorry we missed it.' The only slick bit of the operation was how quick we got unsolicited sales calls from funeral directors.
Yeah, under those circumstances my phone will be dead in a few hours as well.
The kids aren't going to have that either. They're already pissed about all this and they're not going to have an app that wipes the battery on their phone. It strikes me that it may well be uninstalled at a rate of knots. Maybe the government could set a target of 200,000 uninstalls a day?
The kids aren't going to have that either. They're already pissed about all this and they're not going to have an app that wipes the battery on their phone. It strikes me that it may well be uninstalled at a rate of knots. Maybe the government could set a target of 200,000 uninstalls a day?
2hats
Dust.
Critical mass of Android users crucial for NHS contact-tracing app
Experts say NHS relying on ‘Android herd immunity’ to overcome Apple-related issues
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Sorry - the page you're looking for has been removed
The contents were out of date or replaced, but you can still access the information via The National Archives website. Details how to do this below.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Wouldn't this app require you to have your bluetooth not just switched on, but accessible to all devices? I have mine accessible to only very specific devices (my own TV, basically) because the last time I had it switched on to open to every device and went out in public, when I'd just got the phone and hadn't finished setting it up, I got sent loads of random dick pics (and that was in a GP waiting room). I don't think this is an uncommon problem for women. There's a reason to switch all-access bluetooth off even if you have a phone with a great battery.
Or will it somehow only allow unknown users to broadcast via this app? I guess that's possible, but since the developers are having problems even making the app run in the background, I'd be surprised.
Needing the phone to be on and unlocked would mean that a phone thief would have access to everything on your phone.
Yep - even in That London people have been really proactive in offering help of all kinds.
Or will it somehow only allow unknown users to broadcast via this app? I guess that's possible, but since the developers are having problems even making the app run in the background, I'd be surprised.
Needing the phone to be on and unlocked would mean that a phone thief would have access to everything on your phone.
Yep - even in That London people have been really proactive in offering help of all kinds.
2hats
Dust.
NHS tracing app in question as experts assess Google-Apple model
Swiss firm hired to test mainstream software despite launch of go-it-alone system
Tim Bradshaw, Sarah Neville and Helen Warrell in London
YESTERDAY
Health chiefs in the UK have tasked a team of software developers to “investigate” switching its unique contact-tracing app to the global standard proposed by Apple and Google, signalling a potential about-turn just days after the NHS launched its new coronavirus app.
The UK has, alongside France, been one of the most prominent countries to turn down the offer of technical assistance from Apple and Google, who are working with health authorities in several European countries including Germany and Italy to build contact-tracing technology into their mobile operating systems.
The UK’s decision to go it alone has been criticised by privacy campaigners and technologists, who say the app will be less effective than incorporating Apple and Google’s software, while also gathering too much personal information in a central database. It has also raised concerns about whether the UK app will be compatible with those under development by other countries which are using the Apple and Google model. If not, this could present barriers for Britons travelling abroad in the future.
Contract documents obtained by Tussell, a data provider on UK government contracts and expenditure, and shared with the Financial Times, show that the London office of Zuhlke Engineering, a Switzerland-based IT development firm, has been awarded a new multimillion pound contract by NHSX, the state-funded health service’s digital innovation arm. The six-month contract to develop and support the Covid-19 contact tracing app is worth £3.8m and was due to begin on Wednesday, the documents show.
The contract includes a requirement to “investigate the complexity, performance and feasibility of implementing native Apple and Google contact tracing APIs [application programming interfaces] within the existing proximity mobile application and platform”. The work is described as a “two week timeboxed technical spike”, suggesting it is still at a preliminary phase, but with a deadline of mid-May. An application programming interface is the means by which software developers access certain functions of a device’s operating system.
An NHSX official said: “We've been working with Apple and Google throughout the app's development and it's quite right and normal to continue to refine the app.”
Downing Street has been tracking developments in Australia, which like the UK has developed its own contact-tracing app without Apple and Google software, but has now run into technical difficulties. One person close to the NHS development process said British officials had been concerned when Germany, which had also been developing its own app, suddenly reverted to the Apple and Google-assisted model last month, leaving Britain more of an outlier within Europe.
The new NHS smartphone app, which many see as a vital component in lifting lockdown restrictions on people’s movement during the pandemic, began testing this week on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, ahead of a planned nationwide rollout in the coming weeks.
The initial version of the UK app, which was developed by Zuhlke in conjunction with Silicon Valley-based firm Pivotal, takes a unique approach to Bluetooth-based tracking that gathers data in a central NHS database, which the government says will allow researchers to better understand the spread of Covid-19.
As well as potentially infringing on privacy, some app developers have questioned whether the NHS app will work effectively, due to restrictions that Apple and Google place on iOS and Android apps using Bluetooth constantly, which can drain a device’s battery more quickly.
One person familiar with the NHS testing process said that its app was able to work in the background in most cases, except when two iPhones were locked and left unused for around 30 minutes, without any Android devices coming within 60m of the devices. Bringing an Android device running the NHS app close to the iPhone would “wake up” its Bluetooth connection, this person said.
Switching to Google and Apple’s contact technology would avoid such issues but are likely to mean the UK has to abandon its centralised database, which representatives of the two tech companies have indicated is incompatible with their “decentralised” approach.
Spokespeople for Zuhlke and Pivotal referred requests for comment to the NHS.
Additional reporting by George Parker in London
Swiss firm hired to test mainstream software despite launch of go-it-alone system
Tim Bradshaw, Sarah Neville and Helen Warrell in London
YESTERDAY
Health chiefs in the UK have tasked a team of software developers to “investigate” switching its unique contact-tracing app to the global standard proposed by Apple and Google, signalling a potential about-turn just days after the NHS launched its new coronavirus app.
The UK has, alongside France, been one of the most prominent countries to turn down the offer of technical assistance from Apple and Google, who are working with health authorities in several European countries including Germany and Italy to build contact-tracing technology into their mobile operating systems.
The UK’s decision to go it alone has been criticised by privacy campaigners and technologists, who say the app will be less effective than incorporating Apple and Google’s software, while also gathering too much personal information in a central database. It has also raised concerns about whether the UK app will be compatible with those under development by other countries which are using the Apple and Google model. If not, this could present barriers for Britons travelling abroad in the future.
Contract documents obtained by Tussell, a data provider on UK government contracts and expenditure, and shared with the Financial Times, show that the London office of Zuhlke Engineering, a Switzerland-based IT development firm, has been awarded a new multimillion pound contract by NHSX, the state-funded health service’s digital innovation arm. The six-month contract to develop and support the Covid-19 contact tracing app is worth £3.8m and was due to begin on Wednesday, the documents show.
The contract includes a requirement to “investigate the complexity, performance and feasibility of implementing native Apple and Google contact tracing APIs [application programming interfaces] within the existing proximity mobile application and platform”. The work is described as a “two week timeboxed technical spike”, suggesting it is still at a preliminary phase, but with a deadline of mid-May. An application programming interface is the means by which software developers access certain functions of a device’s operating system.
An NHSX official said: “We've been working with Apple and Google throughout the app's development and it's quite right and normal to continue to refine the app.”
Downing Street has been tracking developments in Australia, which like the UK has developed its own contact-tracing app without Apple and Google software, but has now run into technical difficulties. One person close to the NHS development process said British officials had been concerned when Germany, which had also been developing its own app, suddenly reverted to the Apple and Google-assisted model last month, leaving Britain more of an outlier within Europe.
The new NHS smartphone app, which many see as a vital component in lifting lockdown restrictions on people’s movement during the pandemic, began testing this week on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, ahead of a planned nationwide rollout in the coming weeks.
The initial version of the UK app, which was developed by Zuhlke in conjunction with Silicon Valley-based firm Pivotal, takes a unique approach to Bluetooth-based tracking that gathers data in a central NHS database, which the government says will allow researchers to better understand the spread of Covid-19.
As well as potentially infringing on privacy, some app developers have questioned whether the NHS app will work effectively, due to restrictions that Apple and Google place on iOS and Android apps using Bluetooth constantly, which can drain a device’s battery more quickly.
One person familiar with the NHS testing process said that its app was able to work in the background in most cases, except when two iPhones were locked and left unused for around 30 minutes, without any Android devices coming within 60m of the devices. Bringing an Android device running the NHS app close to the iPhone would “wake up” its Bluetooth connection, this person said.
Switching to Google and Apple’s contact technology would avoid such issues but are likely to mean the UK has to abandon its centralised database, which representatives of the two tech companies have indicated is incompatible with their “decentralised” approach.
Spokespeople for Zuhlke and Pivotal referred requests for comment to the NHS.
Additional reporting by George Parker in London
2hats
Dust.
More on iOS BT LE and iPhones not wanting to play ball.
passonapp.net
Why the NHSX Covid Tracking app will not work.
Security aside, the technology simply will not work!
passonapp.net
weltweit
Well-Known Member
I wonder if the IoW trial really is a trial and they could reverse and adopt the google apple solution still? I think more likely gov has set their position in stone and won't accept change requirements.
From what people have posted in this thread it does seem the app is hardly fit for purpose. My initial thoughts were that I would probably install the app and do my bit for killing off coronavirus, but after reading this thread I now think I probably won't install it as it will likely disable my phone by killing the battery life!
From what people have posted in this thread it does seem the app is hardly fit for purpose. My initial thoughts were that I would probably install the app and do my bit for killing off coronavirus, but after reading this thread I now think I probably won't install it as it will likely disable my phone by killing the battery life!
souljacker
innit
So they lied that it wouldn't record location data then. I'm out.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
Fair enough if that's what you want, but if you have a smartphone now have you actually looked at what apps you've already given that to?
souljacker
innit
Yes, all of them. I allow very limited GPS data recording and only while the app is in use.
souljacker
innit
It's possible they are using location data to check that you're on the island though. The blog post from Ian levy of the NCSC states:
So he's either lying or those app permissions are only for this test version.
Full blog post here:
www.ncsc.gov.uk
So he's either lying or those app permissions are only for this test version.
Full blog post here:
The security behind the NHS contact tracing app
In this blog post, Ian Levy explains how the new NHS COVID-19 app will help us fight the coronavirus while protecting your privacy and security (and not draining your phone battery).
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Still, the important thing is we were able to give loads of money to a bunch of spivs for inventing something that doesn't work before this inevitable u-turn.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
For me, it's only a couple. Not everybody automatically gives every app permission to access everything.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Yeah, that's something I'm really cautious about. My default setting is to refuse it unless there's a compelling reason not to.
Supine
Newt Member
as a delay to full implementation maybe...
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Well they don't seem to have given themselves much time to modify the offering if the trial proves that changes are needed, especially if significant changes are required.
Well that's me out from a technical pov so...
weltweit
Well-Known Member
How can I tell if I have Android 7?
scratch that, I upgraded to 9 ..
mauvais
on reddit or something
Something like Settings > About Phone > Software Information.
Similar threads
