Apple and Google Build Privacy-Focused Contact Tracing Framework
Apple and Google develop a decentralized system using Bluetooth to help health authorities track COVID-19 exposure without compromising user privacy. The protocol operates at the operating system level for better background performance.
Apple and Google develop the Exposure Notification system to help health authorities conduct digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This opt-in framework automatically logs close interactions between users of Android and iOS smartphones to help track the spread of the virus.
The protocol relies on a decentralized approach that combines Bluetooth Low Energy technology with privacy-preserving cryptography. It operates similarly to the DP-3T protocol but functions at the operating system level, which allows it to run much more efficiently as a background process compared to standard applications.
Apple makes the feature available through iOS updates starting in May 2020, while Google delivers it to Android devices through Google Play Services. This deep operating system integration solves the performance issues that plague traditional apps, which often experience severely degraded functionality when running in the background on mobile devices.