Singapore to consider switching to Apple/Google contact tracing API

Singapore to consider switching to Apple/Google contact tracing API
An illustration photo.
PHOTO: Reuters

More countries including Singapore and Australia are considering to switch or adopt Apple/Google contact tracing API according to a report by Reuters.

Singapore and Australia were among the several countries to launch the first generation of contact tracing apps.

The first generation of contact tracing apps rely on Bluetooth or location-tracking technology to inform users if they are exposed to an infected individual.

This gave rise to privacy concerns and reports of iPhone batteries draining faster than usual as users have to keep the apps open.

The second generation of contact tracing apps, some of which are based on the Apple/Google API, are optimised to work with iPhones as they can still send Bluetooth signals while running in the background.

In addition, the newer contact tracing apps do not need to sync data with a centralised database.

Switzerland was the first country to release a contact tracing app based on the Exposure Notification API, followed by Italy and Latvia.

Now, more European countries such as Austria, Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Portugal are developing similar apps based on the API or switching to it.

Apple introduced the contact-tracing technology to iPhone users via the iOS 13.5 update last month. When it was released last month, Apple and Google shared that governments in 23 countries had requested access to the API.

As more countries shift to adopt or switch to the joint standard, it could make contact tracing more effective and this is a critical step in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

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This article was first published in Hardware Zone.

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