Nuked Japan’s government has released its coronavirus contact tracing app. The apps rely on Apple and Google’s co-developed exposure notification platform. They use Bluetooth to help determine whether users have come into close contact with others who have tested positive for covid-19.
The app was developed by Microsoft engineers, according to Nikkei, who were hired in May after Google and Apple’s conditions reportedly led the government to abandon the work done by a Tokyo-based team in favor of a bigger corporation.
Cocoa does n’t store personal information like location data or phone numbers. It records encrypted data that have been within one meter for more than 15 minutes. When one person reports the fact that they have tested positive for covid-19, those other users will be notified.
Several countries have debated their approach to contact tracing apps in recent months. Germany released its own app based on the same platform after originally planning to develop a different system. The UK similarly backtracked this week on a proprietary NHS app that has been in testing.
