TraceTogether: Flattening the curve of COVID-19 using mobile phone devices

Summary

TraceTogether is the world's first fully functional worldwide Bluetooth contact tracing app, designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Using short-distance Bluetooth, the app checks and records if users come in contact with other TraceTogether users. If either party is diagnosed or suspected of having COVID-19, they can be contacted – if permitted by the user – and informed about the incident, and be provided with tailored guidance and timely treatment. The app does not collect any personal information apart from the users’ phone numbers, does not send any information to a central server, and third parties cannot trace users over time.

Results

One month after the launch of TraceTogether, the app was installed by 20 per cent of the population of Singapore with a total of 1.1 million users. No further results are published due to data privacy  rules of the app. However, the app has attracted interest globally: More than 50 governments have expressed interest in adopting or adapting the app for their country. Whether the app proves successful  in contributing to “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 depends on the share of the population that will download and use the app in everyday life.

 

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