Confidence in app low
WHILE I don’t wish to contribute to the COVID-19 conspiracy industry, I have some reservations about the Federal Government’s idea of our installing a movement/contact detection app on our mobile phones.
They provide little information, whereas we are enthusiastically encouraged to install it when it arrives.
What other democratic countries have introduced this app? The only one I can think of is Singapore, a largely autocratic country that still has capital and corporal punishment.
What security measures are included in the app? Most people will recall the My Health Record system that leaked so badly it took another 12 to 18 months to introduce.
Information about data collection is vague. I hear each phone will have a unique code so, if we encounter a similar phone carried by an infected person, we can be traced. Sounds good if it works. But what about the false positives and the failures to detect?
With a little tweaking, could this app be used for other intelligence gathering purposes?
We have not been told how long the data collected will be retained, where or by whom?
Has comprehensive testing been conducted with this app?
The last thing needed is for it to go berko and shut down the mobile networks.
Australian governments are notorious for introducing shoddy software.
Such examples include the Centrelink debt collection program and the last Commonwealth Census debacle where they tried to blame hackers when the site crashed?
Once governments get powers, they are loath to relinquish them.
So, will this app become part of the new normality when we emerge “on the other side”, and if we voluntarily install it, can we completely uninstall it without repercussions?
I need convincing this app will only be used for the stated purpose and that my privacy won’t be compromised. Do that and I will install it.
However, I oppose the coercion that without the software we will be forced to remain in extended lockdown. We need information.
I’m reluctant to believe they are deliberately withholding it, however, this leaves the alternative premise they don’t know what they are talking about. That is disturbing.
JEFF WILLIAMS,
Condon.