GSMA suggests mobile carriers bake contact-tracing into their own apps – if governments ask for it
- Reference: 1591252265
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/04/gsma_suggests_mobile_carriers_bake/
- Source link:
The body today popped out a [1]paper [PDF] on contact-tracing apps. After some unremarkable observations about the need for and operations of such apps, plus an explanation of the centralised vs. centralised data storage debate, the paper offers members a section titled: “How the mobile industry can help.”
That section suggests carriers could help to improve the reach of and disseminate such apps with the following three tactics:
Integrate software into own apps (e.g. customer self-care app), if this is part of the national strategy
Pre-install on devices
Communicate to / educate subscribers
The first item may prove unworkable given Google and Apple have indicated they’ll only register coronavirus-related apps if they’re developed by governments and their health agencies. The two tech giants have also said they’ll only allow one app per jurisdiction to use their pro-privacy COVID-19 contact-tracing [2]interface . The second suggestion also has potential pitfalls as contact-tracing apps are generally opt-in affairs. Carriers would need to be sensitive about how they are installed and the user experience offered if the apps ask for registration.
The paper also reveals that the Association’s Terminal Steering Working Group is “supporting work to gather device-specific Bluetooth calibration parameters from a broad reach of handset manufacturers and to provide this to all such initiatives to improve app performance.”
The document also suggests carriers talk to contact-tracing developers to “mitigate the data volume challenge” by facilitating Wi-Fi offloading and to “ensure that the devices spread the communication across the whole day evenly.”
The latter sounds like a suggestion that carriers could delay transmission of some contact-tracing app data. Hopefully not the critical notifications that somebody has tested positive to COVID-19? ®
[1] https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads//GSMA-Briefing-Paper-Contact-Tracing-Apps.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/21/apple_google_coronavirus_api/
Half baked
As an idea, this stinks, a baked in contact tracing app that will be a target for dog knows who, to find a way to abuse it. If they turn out like the baked in rubbish on my last Samsung, it will be near impossible to get rid of.
I wonder what the implications are regarding GDPR too? Opt in to me means that I get to decide whether or not it is on my phone, not a phone manufacturer, a government or even a doctor.
'Don't touch that tin foil, it's mine!'
Re: Half baked
So far the best proposal has been from Google & Apple, and I don't trust them. This scheme won't catch phones bought from non-operator sources, and will end up with many different implementations, each with their own bugs and exploits.
One advantage of Apple?
They don't allow carriers to "pre-install" "helpful features".
Given the quality problems that "carrier code" caused the likes of Nokia (remember them?), then I would dread to think what this could do for phone reliability.
It's things like this that allow conspiracy theories to spread. This should not even be a discussion we should be having. Apple and Google have set their stall out for states to use. This just looks like some government sponsored attempt to get it permanently baked into new hardware and we all know exactly how it will be used.
"This just looks like some government sponsored attempt"
It looks more like fear of missing out on the GSMA's part and maybe also the carriers'.
And this is one of the reasons why I never turn Bluetooth on...
Don't let the phone operators have a go (somebody think of the children).
"The GSM Association, the body that represents mobile carriers and influences the development of standards, has suggested its members bake virus contact-tracing functionality into their own bundled software."
Another reason to buy SIM free mobile phones that haven't been anywhere near a specific operator. Presumably the manufacturers would comply and add this to their own device specific bloat but my point here is having seen how bad some operator bundled software is, I am quite happy not to have some half-arsed effort forced upon me by amateurs.
Re: Don't let the phone operators have a go (somebody think of the children).
Can't see the operators being keen to be honest. This would mean they own all the privacy / GDPR stuff. I think they would much rather leave that with government.
Meh.
No ta. Look, I'm as wary of Corona as the next guy, but this seems like a feature that would never be turned off, even if we manage to get rid of Corona totally.