2 million Australians download contact tracing app in first 24 hours
4111 Min Read
Just hours after a contact tracing app was launched by the Australian Government on Monday, more than two million Australians had downloaded it on their mobile phones. The app is considered as an integral part of plans to expand testing for the infection.
Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister, said that the app, together with increased testing, are among the principal conditions for easing restrictions. However, a number of privacy campaigners have complained at some of the features exposed by the app.
The country has registered around 6,700 cases and only 83 deaths, well below figures for similarly-populated countries, a fact the government attributed to border closures and other measures taken proactively.
Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that the tracing app launched late on Sunday had been downloaded by more than 2 million people – about 8 percent of the population – as of 7.p.m. n Monday. The government’s stated target is to reach two fifths of the population. In a press statement, Government said that “this effort will help protect ourselves, our families, our nurses and our doctors”.
The application uses the TraceTogether software, developed in Singapore, and through Bluetooth signals indicates when people have been close to one another. While civil liberty groups have complained about possible privacy breaches, Government has insisted that no personal data is recorded.
