"MIT Develops Privacy-Preserving COVID-19 Contact Tracing Inspired by Apple’s 'Find My' Feature"
Contact tracing apps are being developed and used in some parts of the world to help stop the spread of COVID-19. A contact tracing app alerts a user when one of the people that they have shared space with is later diagnosed with COVID-19. As contact tracing apps require the collection of sensitive information such as location data, Bluetooth-enabled proximity information, and whether a user has been infected, there are concerns about the privacy of these apps. Therefore, MIT researchers have developed an automated contact tracing app that addresses privacy-related issues. This article continues to discuss the concept of contact tracing apps, concerns surrounding the privacy of these apps, and the new system designed by MIT researchers to maintain the privacy of those that use contact tracing apps.