Contact tracing API to become part of Android (and iOS)

See for example:

What is e’s stance on this?
Personally I hope it won’t be adopted and will even be actively removed if necessary.

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Sounds related to the Covid-19 Apps topic.

Kind of with the slight difference that Apple and Google will integrate this on a system level instead of integrating contact tracing on an app level as it happens with PEPP-PT.

As far as I understand it from this XDA-Post (https://www.xda-developers.com/google-apple-contact-tracing-coronavirus/), the Contact Tracing and BLE Contact Detection API will be delivered over Google Play Services updates. So after my understanding, the AOSP code won’t get modified and therefore there should be no effects on devices without Google Play services.
However, I’m not sure how this interacts with MicroG. Will they include this in their Play Services reimplementation?

And what about tracking by the providers ?
I eard UE had autorized it…

Stay at home ! or Abandon your phone !

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Well that happens outside of any software level so there’s no way you can prevent that except by turning off your phone / enabling airplane mode.

The german Telekom also did that. They provided the national institute for infectious diseases with anonymized location data of their users (it’s another discussion wether that’s legitimate or not). I think the data was mainly gained through radio cells.

worrying indeed. Good read ->
https://blog.xot.nl/2020/04/19/google-apple-contact-tracing-gact-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothes/

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Don’t worry, this framework won’t be implemented in /e/.

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Do you have more details on that?

After my understanding, as long as the API is not implemented in AOSP, the only way to get on user’s devices is over microG / Play Services. So can one say that this can’t directly be controlled by the /e/-devs but rather by the microG-devs?

Would be nice to have some clarification here.

MicroG is an open source project that aims to send minimum data to Google and protect your privacy. I really doubt they would implement such a thing.

So no chance it comes in /e/.

Only switch on Bluetooth if necessary

Generally that’s a good thing to do - no doubts about that.

But I’m not sure if one can be sure that no tracking happens with the new API even if the bluetooth functionality is disabled. It totally depends on how the API will actually be implemented.

That’s the problem with moving such an API to OS-level. The user can still of course disable bluetooth on the phone but this does not guarantee that this also disables bluetooth for contact tracing.

For example, if you have bluetooth disabled but your location services run on “high accuracy”, your phone still uses bluetooth in the background to ping nearby devices.

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Yes really, it’s an alternative to Play Services that aims to protect your privacy.

»This does not stop even after I have deactivated the Bluetooth function. In order for Bluetooth to be completely paused, you have to set it separately elsewhere

Ah, my apologies. Guess I should’ve read your thread more carefully :slight_smile:

It’s not an opinion. MicroG is an alternative to the Google Play Services that respects more your privacy. (Don’t worry it’s the last time I say it :yum: )

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Easy. Install LineageOS, and do not install microG.

More correct - microG is an alternative interface for using Google Play Services.

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“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/firm-management/article/11575149/whether-you-think-you-can-or-think-you-cant-youre-right

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