I think he mean the exposure notifications.
Pretty sure that you need to upload a specific app for your locality to participate in contact tracing. I think all these things are in preparation.
If you carry an iPhone you were being tracking already.The ability to do contact tracing (not tracking) is theoretically there starting with iOS 13.5.
It's part of the OS, but is not enabled by default. It's also part of newer Android versions - Google and Apple worked on this together.
Now, let me tell you: PLEASE turn it ON.
It does NOT "track" you. It does not use location at all. It uses Bluetooth LE and exchanges codes with other phones that get a strong enough signal for long enough that it's likely you were within 6 feet for longer than 15 seconds (IIRC). Your random code automatically expires within 15 minutes and a new one is generated so that even if someone were purposely listening and trying to track you that way, it wouldn't work.
If you get COVID, AND your state has a contact tracing app that uses the Apple/Google COVID API, you'll get a passcode from your health authority that you put into the app to verify that you got COVID, and at that point your list of codes is uploaded and bounced to all of the other users, and their phone checks your codes against the ones they've come into contact with in the last two weeks. If there's a match, it'll alert you.
There is NO tracking of location and no personally identifying information, and the list of codes of other devices you've come into contact with is not sent off of your device unless and until you get COVID.
It's the best possible combination of technology to make contact tracing more viable and more accurate while not violating anyone's privacy. So PLEASE don't just turn it off, and please DO download your state's app if they develop one, *IF* they use the Apple/Google API. DO give it access to Bluetooth or it won't work. Do NOT give it access to your location, contacts, or any other information (and raise a stink if it even asks, because it shouldn't).
Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be widely adopted in the US. We're too scared of Big Brother and we don't like doing our homework on this stuff, so we'll take it as an affront to our freedom and not use it, which makes it pretty useless. We'd rather kill each other.
The ability to do contact tracing (not tracking) is theoretically there starting with iOS 13.5.
It's part of the OS, but is not enabled by default. It's also part of newer Android versions - Google and Apple worked on this together.
Now, let me tell you: PLEASE turn it ON.
It does NOT "track" you. It does not use location at all. It uses Bluetooth LE and exchanges codes with other phones that get a strong enough signal for long enough that it's likely you were within 6 feet for longer than 15 seconds (IIRC). Your random code automatically expires within 15 minutes and a new one is generated so that even if someone were purposely listening and trying to track you that way, it wouldn't work.
If you get COVID, AND your state has a contact tracing app that uses the Apple/Google COVID API, you'll get a passcode from your health authority that you put into the app to verify that you got COVID, and at that point your list of codes is uploaded and bounced to all of the other users, and their phone checks your codes against the ones they've come into contact with in the last two weeks. If there's a match, it'll alert you.
There is NO tracking of location and no personally identifying information, and the list of codes of other devices you've come into contact with is not sent off of your device unless and until you get COVID.
It's the best possible combination of technology to make contact tracing more viable and more accurate while not violating anyone's privacy. So PLEASE don't just turn it off, and please DO download your state's app if they develop one, *IF* they use the Apple/Google API. DO give it access to Bluetooth or it won't work. Do NOT give it access to your location, contacts, or any other information (and raise a stink if it even asks, because it shouldn't).
Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be widely adopted in the US. We're too scared of Big Brother and we don't like doing our homework on this stuff, so we'll take it as an affront to our freedom and not use it, which makes it pretty useless. We'd rather kill each other.
Good. Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about this feature.
LOL That's a good one!
Exactly. The world has changed. We are now too scared to live like we used to. The scare will not pass, people will bore of Covid And latch on to a new thing to be scared of.
Luckily the ability to infer social networks without user intervention is otherwise of no value.
As an aside, I updated to iOS 14 last night. Here’s the related screen in Settings:
It's the same in TX. Thank God our state does not allow exposure notifications! Then the "gummint" might be able to find out where we are!
I just opted in. However, when I show my region as Tennessee, USA, I’m told “EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS ARE NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE - Exposure Notifications have not been turned on for your region by your public health authority.”
