Switzerland launched SwissCovid contact tracing app
SwissCovid is the coronavirus contact tracing app that has been launched with the aim of mapping the spread of the virus across Switzerland. The Federal Council of Switzerland launched the app on June 25. The SwissCovid app for mobile phones (Android/iPhone) will help to contain the new coronavirus. It complements the conventional contact tracing carried out by the cantons – and thus helps to break the chains of transmission.
The app has been developed in collaboration with a team of scientists and specialists around Europe, and the government’s computing science and telecommunications department and the Switzerland-based company Ubique.
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What is SwissCovid about?
SwissCovid is developed to alert users who have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for the coronavirus. It informs the user if he/she has been less than two meters away from an infected person for more than 15 minutes. While building this app, users privacy is given the highest priority and no personal data are stored centrally.
As regards the technical aspects of the app, it doesn’t record any GPS data. In other words, the app doesn’t disclose who this user was or where and when exactly the contact took place. The app registers via Bluetooth when the users are in close physical proximity to other users of application. If a user that you have been in close physical proximity with positive test results for the virus, the app informs you of this. All other users will be able to monitor if they’ve spent considerable time in close vicinity with infected people.
Protecting privacy
The data that your SwissCovid app collects are stored locally on your smartphone. The phone does not send any personal or location data to a central storage location or server. This means that no one can work out who you have been in contact with or where that contact took place. Once the coronavirus crisis is over, or if the app proves to be ineffective, the system will be shut down.
Swiss Cyber Forum fully supports SwissCovid
We at Swiss Cyber Forum congratulate the Federal Council of Switzerland on the really significant achievement. We understand the fact that contact tracing app is an efficient public health measure for the control of coronavirus. For countries that have implemented strict physical distancing measures to prevent the chains of transmission, contact tracing apps are a priority once the physical distancing measures are lifted. So, SwissCovid will do a better job of breaking chains of infection.
We have to work on harmonized solutions, and privacy-focused SwissCovid app is a tangible example of how contact tracing apps can assist fight coronavirus. We encourage our citizens to use the app, simply because we see it as a plus for everyone who downloads it. Therefore, we strongly believe that SwissCovid app will help protect our loved ones and fellow citizens. Also, it’ll help us get back to normal life much faster by breaking the chain of infection.
SwissCovid app is available here
You can install and use the SwissCovid app free of charge. Download the app now, and let’s prevent the further spread of the coronavirus together:
