UK will not use coronavirus tracking app proposed by Apple-Google
Coronavirus in London, UK
The UK has ditched the framework proposed by tech giants Apple and Google for its National Health Service (NHS) coronavirus contact tracing app.
The framework proposed by Apple and Google is a decentralised one, meaning that the tracking information will not be stored in a central server.
NHSX, the digital arm of the country's health organisation, is instead creating a centralised app -- despite privacy and security concerns. It, in a blog over the weekend, said it has prioritised security and privacy in all stages of the app`s development, starting with the initial design, and user testing.
Apple and Google have also offered their expertise to help NHSX build its own app.
"We are working with Apple and Google on their welcome support for tracing apps around the world," NHSX said.
The NHS app is likely to be rolled out in two to three weeks -- only after it is tested in a trial with a small number of people.
Google and Apple decided, earlier this month, to pull their expertise for tracking COVID-19 spread with the help of smartphones. They said that their Bluetooth-driven exposure notification system to enable iOS and Android phones trace the spread of coronavirus was completely safe.