MADISON, Wisconsin – A COVID-19 contact tracking application launched on Wednesday in Wisconsin for iPhone and Android phones. The WI Exposure Notification app allows users to enter their test results and be notified if they have been in close contact with someone with a positive test.
Notifications began to be sent to Wisconsin residents on Wednesday, asking users to set up the app, which works with Bluetooth technology to share signals anonymously between other nearby smartphones using the app. The technology does not use, collect or store any GPS data or personal information from a user’s phone.
“This app is completely voluntary, but the more people who use it, the more effective it will be,” Governor Evers said in a press release. “Now that we have a vaccine, there is light at the end of the tunnel, folks, but we are not yet free – we still need everyone to do their part to help fight this virus.”
When an individual test is positive for COVID-19, he receives a code that he can insert into the application. The code is then used to anonymously send an alert to users who have shared a Bluetooth signal with the person who tested positive for a period of time that falls within the standards of close contact.
“It may seem daunting, or a very difficult order for everyone in Wisconsin to choose,” said Ajay Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at UW-Madison. “It doesn’t have to be adopted by everyone; it really has to be adopted one person at a time – and really within social networks. “
Sethi recommends having conversations with loved ones and members of social networks during the holiday season to ensure everyone has opted in, to allow easier contact tracking if someone on a social network is positive. It is also fail-safe when it comes to remembering close contacts.
“If many people do this, many networks will overlap,” he explained.
Bluetooth must be enabled for the application to work properly. The application must also be installed or activated before a positive test for it to work.
“The way to get people to adopt this is by talking to friends and family,” said Sethi. “We need it to go viral that way, just like the virus.”
How do I download?
For Android phones, you can download the app through the Google Play Store. For iPhones, the app can be configured through the phone’s display notification settings, with system notifications starting to be sent on Wednesday. Allowing notifications for the app will allow you to receive alerts when someone you have been in contact with provides a positive test result.
Is it private?
The application does not store location data or personal information and erases the random IDs generated by Bluetooth for sharing with other phones every fourteen days. Many gaming and social media applications collect, store and even sell more data than exposure notification technology.
Click here to see the Apple / Google FAQ on how the baseline exposure notification technology works.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, TRANSMITTED, RECOMMENDED OR REDISTRIBUTED.