Published 19:39 IST, June 15th 2020
Norway to halt operations and delete all data of COVID-19 track and trace app
Amid criticism from country’s DPA, Norway’s Institute of Public Health has announced that it would halt and delete data collected by COVID-19 track & trace app.
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Amid criticism from country’s Data Protection Authority, Norway’s Institute of Public Health has announced on June 15 that it would not only stop the functioning of COVID-19 track and trace mobile application but will also delete all the data collected so far. While the world is still witnessing an upswing on the number of coronavirus cases, Norwegian authorities had introduced the application to limit the transmission of the highly contagious disease in the country.
However, the data protection watchdog had said on June 12 citing the minimal spread of coronavirus in Norway that collecting data through the app by the government no longer seems reasonable amid privacy concerns. According to Johns Hopkins University tally, Norway as till now confirmed at least 8,639 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 242 deaths.
Therefore, NIPH has reportedly said that even though they do not agree with the evaluation of the watchdog, they feel it is necessary to delete all data and put the work on hold as a result of the concerns. NIPH also added that as a result of halting the COVID-19 track and trace app, the country’s preparedness against a spread in infection will be weakened because the government will lose time for development and testing of the app.
COVID-19 app in Singapore
While initially smartphone applications were seen as one of the most significant methods to control the drastic spread of coronavirus, now many nations are moving away from its support. Norway announced the suspension of the COVID-19 application just a week after Singapore made a similar app optional for its citizens. According to reports, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in the parliament that the app called ‘TraceTogether’ does not work well with both Android or iOS devices. The politician who is in charge of the Smart Nation initiative cited the suspension of Bluetooth activity in the devices because of the app running in the background. Therefore, the mandatory use of TraceTogether is now ruled out while the Singapore government is in touch with Apple Inc to find a satisfactory solution to the issues.
Image Source: AP
Updated 19:39 IST, June 15th 2020