President Donald J. Trump and CEO of Apple Tim Cook in the Oval Office at the White House. April 25, 2018. In the background: John Bolton.
Apple and Google, two of the world’s biggest tech giants, have collaborated to create software to track the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) virus. The tracking system will work on both iOS and Android, the two dominant operating systems in the U.S.
The system will be fully voluntary, so no one will be tracked without their permission. The software would alert users if they have come in contact with a person with the coronavirus.
Health officials will be given access to the data of the users who download the app, and the users can report if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Across the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and get society back up and running,” Apple and Google said in their joint statement. “Software developers are contributing by crafting technical tools to help combat the virus and save lives.”
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