Yes; it was an installed app, not a sensor (on the iPhone). You don't have to activate it so I didn't.
I have questions and maybe some of you do as well. The poster makes it seem like it's a conspiracy move by Google and Apple by using 'secretly'. @Beth Gallagher, do you know if any of this was made public to consumers before the app was added? Every thing that I've skimmed over says basically the same thing. I would like to know if can be removed if they (Google and Apple) can activate the app at any time. What makes 'them' think that we would want something like this? Isn't it enough that regardless of where anyone is COVID-19 is present. What about false readings? We don't know if this has been tested as being certain in recognizing COVID-19 carriers.
@Von Jones -- I have read that Apple/Google "announced" the feature back in April, but I never pay attention to tech announcements so I couldn't say. Apparently (for now) you can turn the app on or off, but who knows what they will do in the future. I believe it requires bluetooth connectivity so it may be possible going forward to simply turn off bluetooth but that would be an inconvenience for other apps. Here's a pretty good explanation, from July... https://ktla.com/morning-news/technology/covid-tracking-iphone-android-update/ "A popular post theorizes that the software was secretly installed when T-Mobile phones were having an outage a few weeks back. That’s not true. In reality, Apple and Google announced plans for the new software back in April. It was released as a software update in iOS 13.5 and as an update to Google Play Services around the same time. “The bad news is that you can’t uninstall it, the good news is that it’s not doing anything,” said Feibus. To see the feature on an iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Health > COVID-19 Exposure Logging. On Android, go to Settings > Google > COVID-19 Exposure Notifications. The feature is only activated when you install an official COVID tracking app and right now, at least in the U.S., there aren’t many of them.
@Beth Gallagher, thanks. Some of my questions were answered particularly whether the app can be removed which it can't. That's even questionable. So only they (G & A) can remove it. That's controlling. If the app is in place I'm can bet money (and I don't bet money) that there is a program that can activate COVID-19 too. Just like an antidote that works backwards. Oh now I have all kinds of thoughts going through my head about this, jeez.
They don't "offer" it. Apple and Google have installed it on the smart phones with the last OS upgrade.
Here's what I just read: Some states are offering COVID Tracking Apps.The apps recognize other phones within a certain distance of you so they can tell you if you've gotten close to someone who is a COVID risk (I do not know how they identify such individuals.) The phones recognize each other using Bluetooth technology. Apple and Google have updated the operating systems so that these applications will work. If what I read is true (and I trust no one), no app was installed, although I bet we are all receiving and transmitting "tokens" (read further.) But the apps are not installed. Virginia's App is called COVIDWISE. Here is an overview of COVIDWISE: Now that I reread what I typed, I assume that this means we are all currently sending and receiving tokens. There is nothing to indicate that only those with the installed app are participants. So how can tokens be anonymous yet know that they belong to COVID risks?
@John Brunner, programming. People who have already been tested as positive can easily be tracked through their phone similar to GPS. All one needs is the phone number to tag it with the COVID identifier. This is all theoretical but it makes sense to me. That information is gathered when entering a clinic, hospital, etc. No pictures or names just a number.
I gotcha. So I bet we are all part of The Hive on this. We are each already a data point by way of the token on our phone. We just need the app if we want to receive any alerts...although I'm not certain what I would do if I were notified that I were near such a person. So what likely happens is that the know-infected phone is identified by its token, and the rest of us are notified if we go near the phone carrying that token. But then you gotta wonder if there's an infected person out there, are all those who passed near him now also tagged as possibly infected, so we get Six Degrees of Separation notifications on the app? This whole thing is an excuse for intrusion. I still have an old flip phone. Maybe I should go back to that.
That's what I was thinking too but if you still use the internet/Google or whatever search engine the app will probably pop up on it as well. If or when this app goes live it's going to create a lot of suspicion when an alert goes off - and you, personally, still won't know who it is, only that it's a passerby or someone among a crowd of people.
Yup. As the Virginia app says, "If there's a match, the app will notify you with further instructions from your public health authority on how to keep you and the people around you safe." So the government will know who YOU are. Note is says "Instructions" and not "Suggestions" or "Recommendations." Is this enforceable "Mandatory Sheltering" notification? I wonder how many might get sent out heading into election day.
Another thought is that 'they' are saying that the COVID app can be purchased or get it to activate the phone app, just how many people do you think are actually going to buy that? (sarcastically) Paranoia waiting to happen. So if the numbers don't meet 'their' expectations then... My thing is I just don't want it on my phone. I didn't ask for it or agree to it. I believe it's a bad move.
I agree 100%. We are at the point where it will be like masks: -You are putting the rest of us at risk. -You must justify what you don't want to do this. I've not seen anything that says these apps are for sale. Each state's health department is deploying them for that state. But according to the Virginia site, you gotta opt-in to exchange the "privacy-preserving" tokens. So if not enough people "opt in," then it's valueless. Of course, in most states, the populous areas are the ones who are most at-risk, and they also contain the most compliant populations. But even at that, the most affected/populous county in my state has an infection rate of 1.5%. So there's minimal value to this thing. And the Six Foot Rule came from doctors who observed that spending 30 minutes within 6 feet of a known-infected person caused their chanced of being infected to rise. So this fear of "We'll notify you when you walked past a known-infected person" is irresponsible. Even doctors say "Gotta be near the person for 30 minutes." It truly is valueless except to incite fear. Plus the double-speak is laughable. "Download Virginia’s free COVIDWISE Exposure Notifications app to help protect your community while protecting your privacy." Or I could not install it in the first place and really protect my privacy.