TECH

Apple and Google launch contact tracking technology

Officials from 23 countries on five continents are seeking access to Apple and Google's contact tracking technology, the companies announced on Wednesday when they launched the initial version of their system.
The Apple-Google partnership technology will allow governments facing coronavirus to launch mobile applications in the coming days, which companies say can reliably register users who are nearby for at least five minutes. A user who is later infected with the virus can use the application to automatically and anonymously notify people with whom he has had recent contact.
Some governments have praised the system, which can help them test and isolate more potentially infected individuals than they would normally be able to do if they depended only on patients' memory of their recent interactions.
Others, however, were frustrated by the rules set by Apple and Google that restrict the power to collect users' location, phone numbers and other details. Some of these authorities are developing applications using their own technology, which according to Apple and Google will fail and deplete the devices' batteries.
Apple and Google rules prevent authorities from requiring the application. Applications using other technologies have seen limited adoption so far. 

Paresh Dave