Apple & Google together for Bluetooth monitoring

OR Apple and the Google announced that they would work together for one Bluetooth which will work perfectly between Android and iOS devices. The two companies have the two most widespread mobile operating systems in the world and their move to an interoperable Bluetooth it will probably cause a variety of reactions.

The news came after a joint statement Apple and her Google for allowing proximity monitoring between Android and iOS device owners.

"Initially in May, both companies will release APIs that will allow its interoperability Bluetooth between Android and iOS devices, developing applications for public health principles. "These official applications will be available to users for download through the respective app Stores", the statement states.

OR Apple and the Google plan to set up a monitoring platform Bluetooth which will allow users to participate and share their tracking history with the various government health authorities monitoring its spread corona.

Both companies had to answer questions from U.S. Senators in recent days. concerning location data for COVID-19 and data collection practices. Proximity tracking applications could go a long way in automating contact detection, which could be crucial to getting back to normal life and business in the coming weeks.

"Through close cooperation with developers, governments and public health services, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow down the spread of COVID 19 and accelerate the return of everyday life," the joint statement said. statement.

In terms of security, a draft technology documentation has been published Bluetooth and the cryptology to be used. The draft states that the contact tracking method will use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and a 32-byte tracking key, cryptographically protected code, to record contact between devices.

Proponents of privacy advocacy for decentralized monitoring methods with Bluetooth from smartphones call this method one of the most modern contact tracking methods available today.

ACLU and cyber security lawyer Jennifer Granick have said that the effectiveness of contact detection applications should depend on trust and voluntary use, and that there should be no central repository of user data.

"THE Apple and the Google announced an approach that seems to mitigate the worst risks to privacy and data collection, but there seems to be room for improvement. "We will continue to monitor to ensure that the detection application remains voluntary and decentralized and will only be used for public health purposes and only during this pandemic," Granick told VentureBeat.