Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

Thanks :)

The challenge is that the platform is kinda niche: it's for people who need to prove their health indicators to someone who doesn't intrinsically trust them. So for example, cleaners, buildings surveyors etc, or perhaps your ex with whom you share childcare. You just want to know they're probably not infected and at least taking the time to monitor their health.

The issue is that only way we can prove that someone's health indicator is what they say is by using timestamping which requires data to be uploaded to a server somewhere. I agree this does mean full and regular pen testing, security audits etc..

That said, the whole platform is pseudo-anonymous, so for the most part there's not a lot that a hacker can do with pictures of your thermometer readings. If / when we start timestamping copies of official test results then we will need to be even more careful.

Hicks, why aren't ya workin?

There's no work to do

Well pretend like ya workin!

How about you pretend like I'm working?

That's registered with mhra right?
It being an app that collects data about people and makes health decisions?

South West and North West back above R1, it would appear: https://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/now-casting/

Quick poll:
Who will put COVID tracker app on phone?

Probably. I moved away from android because I resented Google’s business model of learning as much about me as possible and selling it, I opted instead for a company who wanted to sell me something bright and shiny every few years, so I really don’t like it, but I think I probably will.

Despite the fact that the echo chamber will do its best to confirm my bias against it, and make me feel no guilt for not doing it, I think society wise it’s the right thing to do with massive misgivings

they think there are 17,000 daily infections in England but the ONS report had it at under 6,000.
that's a huge difference - is there a reason to believe one more than the other? or have I misunderstood?

Sunday trading laws to be relaxed ! Cos all people can do is shop and not think.

I will.

No, I won't put it on. I have zero trust in the digital honesty of this govt.

It seems also that they were unable to manage the situation using relatively simple measures, I don't believe that this app will become some panacea even if the uptake is sufficient.

Not a chance, far to invasive into private lives.

No

Nope, but is it even going to work on iPhone? Anyway I’m still not going out so not sure what it would track!

Something of pertinence in trusting the government with data:

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/under-pressure-uk-government-releases-nhs-covid-data-deals-big-tech/

A story that broke yesterday, although it didn't get much fanfare.

(ms mashton was the barrister for Open Democracy and Foxglove.)

My phone is a work phone, knowing what the app is likely to do based on the reports in the media and the involvement of Palantir there is no way I could responsibly install it.

If I wanted to do so I’d need to submit it for security to review, but I’m pretty sure what their response would be

You could think the whole covid thing was an exercise in control .

I won't install it.

NI has manual track and trace so not sure we will even be asked here.

The EU is working on one, if we are going on Europe holidays we may have to install that one at some point?

Of course it didn't start as that, however it is being utilised as such.

ID cards next, issued on the premise of bio security.

I won't install anything gov recommended by another private firm. I've already sold my soul to Google, let them have it.

NI has manual track and trace so not sure we will even be asked here.

So does the rest of the UK. And probably everywhere else. The idea is to use both.

The EU is working on one, if we are going on Europe holidays we may have to install that one at some point?

EU nations are working on their own independent apps. I've not heard of an EU wide app, although there has been talk of interoperability.

This thread shows that there is a huge lack of trust in the government in the UK. I think the hard feelings post-Brexit are legit. But I'm pretty surprised how fierce it is.

I'll still install the app barring evidence that there is actually some bad shit going down.

Another no to the app

If there were such an app in the USA I’d imagine it’d be used to track protesters.

The data is anonymized. The code is also open source and can be examined on their github repo.

Got a link handy?

https://github.com/nhsx/