There has been a fair bit of criticism circling about the limitations of the new COVID Alert app – so, after borrowing a smartphone that was new enough to support the app, we downloaded it and gave it a whirl. The app is only supported by operating systems on newer devices, which is a big part of the controversy, but the app itself has a high rating from users.
The feds launched the app, starting in Ontario, to alert people when they come in close contact with someone who has voluntarily logged that they have COVID-19. According to the government, “the COVID Alert app uses Bluetooth to exchange random codes with nearby phones. Every day, it checks a list of random codes from people who tell the app they tested positive. If you’ve been near one of those codes in the past 14 days, you’ll get a notification.”
They say it does not store your personal information.
The app runs in the background whenever the user is near someone else with COVID Alert, both phones exchange random codes every five minutes.
The random codes change often and cannot be used to identify you.
The app estimates how near people are by the strength of Bluetooth signals.
If you’re closer than two metres for more than 15 minutes, the app will record an exposure.
If someone with the app is diagnosed with COVID-19, they can choose to upload the random codes their phone sent. The codes go into a central server.
The server only gets the codes. It does not get any information about the person.
Every day, whenever it has an Internet connection, your phone will get a list of the random codes from people who reported a diagnosis.
If it finds codes that match, the app notifies you that you’ve been exposed and explains what to do next.
The effectiveness is questionable because its success relies on the number of people who are using the app.
The national media is reporting that less than 3.5 per cent of the population of Canada has downloaded the app, yet it would require 60 per cent participation to be effective. Basically, there are a lot of people out there who will have to upgrade their phones if they want to use the app. (Ironically, in the time of COVID, there have been delays in the delivery of such devices.)