Germany has changed its mind on the work of Apple and Google to create a contact tracking system to track and manage the spread of COVID-19, supporting a decentralized approach focused on privacy protection.
On Saturday, we reported that Germany and France disagreed with Apple and Google regarding the security mechanisms and data storage in the cross-platform system-level framework of the two tech giants for contact tracking. Two days later, Bavarian government officials appear to have changed their minds .
According to the report, Germany’s original solution, a centralized standard called pan-European privacy preservation proximity tracking (PEPP-PT), has been heavily criticized because of the surveillance it would cause and some problems with the system methodology.
An open letter from hundreds of scientists released last Monday warned that if contact traceability data were centralized, it would allow for ” unprecedented surveillance of society at large ” … “PEPP-PT made a number of serious mistakes regarding the communication that, at the end of the day, caused serious damage and led to this decision, “said Fraunhofer HHI head Thomas Wiegand in a message to colleagues.”
The German government, in response to pressure on the PEPP-PT, has now decided to adopt a decentralized standard that is more suited to the solution that Apple and Google are currently building.
“In their joint statement, Braun and Spahn said that Germany will now adopt a” highly decentralized “approach.” This app should be voluntary, meet data protection standards and ensure a high level of cyber security, “they said.” The main goal is to recognize and stop the chains of infection as soon as possible. “
Other supporters of a decentralized solution in Europe include Switzerland, Austria and Estonia. France and Britain, however, continue to push for a centralized approach.
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