I guess he refers to that:
https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000119128962/deutsche-polizei-nutzt-corona-kontaktlisten-zur-strafverfolgung
https://www.golem.de/news/bayern-hamburg-rheinland-pfalz-polizei-nutzt-corona-kontaktlisten-in-mehreren-bundeslaendern-2008-150004.html
OK, thanks. Oh, thanks. I read that, too. I got your post wrong. I thought you meant that the German police had misused the Corona App for this.
>so what’s that special with this one?)
For iOS, it’s quite clear: contact tracing via a proprietary interface can be misused. In Germany, the information people had to leave for “health reasons” was (mis)used for criminal investigations. Think criminal investigation → prosecution of government-critical people. Then think about this large scale, based on mobile devices.
The statement cited by you was my comment on the hesitation to trust microG’s open source implementation of the Exposure Notification API and the fact that it is disabled by default. You can check everything there, also that is really is disabled, because it is open source.
I do not like how you (be it intentional or not) shift the scope of statements. I noticed this also in your previous post where you said
> The fact, that the Exposure Notification API implementation isn’t open source (just the specification)
which is true for GooglePlay Services but not for microG.
I completely agree that having a closed source implementation of this API is very concerning. Although there is no known case of abuse of the API so far, as clarified in the comments after your post.
>big parts of microG are interfaces to privacy unfriendly google services
If you don’t mind - could you please share which parts you’re thinking of?
Basically all the parts that just forward google services to you (Push notifications, Firebase, Drive…). Although microG provides an open source implementation of the local side of things, everything happening on Google’s side is still proprietary and most certainly not focused at your privacy.
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I’m fully with what @ljahn said.
In other words:
Every feature microG provides (push notifications, exposure notification api, …) can be a danger to your privacy if you turn that feature on.
But microG isn’t a danger to your privacy, because microG gives you the full control about which of it’s features to turn on.
Anyone but you (the user) can’t tell your microG to give any of your data to anyone.
Neither any state (e. g. Germany) nor anyone else can turn your microG against you.
Your microG absolutely obeys you!
This is the very reason why microG exists. And you can trust this, because microG is 100% open source.
Even if an OS like /e/ comes with microG’s new (100% open source) implementation of the exposure notification api microG won’t betray you.
Translation for german privacy activists like myself:
Übersetzung für deutsche Datenschutz-Aktivisten wie mich:
Jede Funktion die microG anbietet (Push Benachrichtigungen, die Exposure Notification API, …) kann eine Gefahr für die Privatsphäre sein wenn man diese Funktion einschaltet.
Aber microG ist keine Gefahr für die Privatsphäre, weil microG einem die volle Kontrolle darüber gibt welche seiner Funktionen eingeschaltet ist.
Niemand außer man selbst kann dem eigenen microG sagen, dass es Daten an irgendwen geben soll.
Weder irgendein Staat (wie Deutschland), noch irgendwer sonst kann dein microG gegen dich verwenden.
Dein microG gehorcht einzig und allein dir!
Dies ist genau der Grund warum microG überhaupt existiert. Und das ist auch glaubwürdig, da microG 100% OpenSource ist.
Selbst wenn ein Betriebssystem wie /e/ microGs neue (100% OpenSource) Umsetzung der Exposure Notification API mitbringt wird microG dich nicht verraten.
4 Likes
Thanks… I was afraid I’ve done a mess…
Hi,
Today I’ve updated OS FFP3+ and now my new situation is the following:
MicroG dosn’t manage for the Exposure Notifications yet.
Is that OK since next updation will manage for it or have I to configure something?
Thanks in advance
1 Like
Right, the question is: Why is this so!
Exposure Notification does not work at the moment, because /e/ developers decided to take an extra step of care. Some members of the community distrusted microG’s open source implementation of the API and that it would be disabled until you opt in. So it was decided to make the API an external package, which has to be specifically downloaded.
This is taking some time. Until they have sorted it out, you have to wait or find some build where the standard version of microG is included, which does support the API.
4 Likes
Thank you for the info!
What will be (or is) the name of the package in the /e/ app store?
This
https://community.e.foundation/t/will-e-include-corona-exposure-notification-api-and-if-so-when/21487/65
Is the comment the info is from. There is no name mentioned. I’m neither /e/ staff, nor prophet 
, so I don’t know 
. Time will tell.
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It is yet to be released. The name will be shared once it is released.
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Does anyone know where those announcements will take place? Where do I have to check to see if the app is released?
The covid tracing framework will show up in the
Apps Store under Categories >> System apps
The name is Microg with contact tracing
You should get it in the next dev updates… Most probably we will release it by end of next week.
There is an issue with the microG app not showing up in the list once you have installed it. The team is working to fix this.
5 Likes
Got an answer from the developers of the Coronalert App (two months after asking!). The App has to be downloaded from the Play services of the right country, so it cannot be done anonymously in the Aurora store. This means you need a G00gl account for it and partially making an /e/ phone a G00gl phone again.
https://www.coronawarn.app/en/faq/#cause_3
And the phone cannot be rooted. A lot of reasons not to use the App. The same thing happened with Payconic and ItsMe, so I do not have any use for a smartphone anymore. I’ll use /e/ on a tablet without SIM.
If you are talking about the German Corona Warn app, it is now even available in f-droid, and includes the required libraries, i.e. not even a current microG is needed.
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@pjmbraet the Corona Warn app for Germany is available in Aurora Store. I’m currently in Germany. So it can be downloaded anonymously. To be functional, it needs Google Play Services, however.
@dalas.revo I can’t find it in F-droid? Do we have different F-droid stores or what?
Edit: I found it. It’s a fork of the Corona Warn App, named Corona Contact tracing Germany
Sorry, yes, it is a fork, but they say it is completely compatible. It is said to be only amended by the necessary components from Android/microG to make it work even on devices without PlayServices/microG.
1 Like
It indeed seems to work without Google or MicroG.
This being said, it might even work for some other countries. The official German Corona Warn App links to the italian Immuni and Irish Covid Tracker among others. I am unsure if this holds true for the f-droid fork though. Maybe someone could try?