Tech roundup: COVID-19 tracking and keeping TikTok on lock
Facedrive Inc., a Toronto-based ride-share network, announced it has collaborated with University of Waterloo to create “TraceScan,” a digital app that tracks the spread of COVID-19. The app is expected to launch within the next 30 days.
On April 16, Cambridge Memorial Hospital began testing the reprocessing of N95 respirators. Health Canada cleared the hospital to use a Sterrad sterilization
machine in hopes of extending the life of the masks.
London tech entrepreneur, Ryan Kelly, has developed an online platform and app called The Atrium Project, which matches up volunteers with people who need help getting essential supplies to their homes. Ottawa-based bioscience firm,
Spartan Bioscience, has been approved by Health Canada for the production and shipping of a portable device called the Spartan Cube it says can test for COVID-19 in under an hour. Minetell Technologies , a Toronto-based performance data company, announced the launch of a cloud-based risk management platform that assesses the effectiveness of COVID-19 safety measures in real time. The platform allows workers and employers to identify areas that need immediate improvement and will be free of charge to companies for the first two months. Facebook will be directing users who have liked, shared or commented on posts with false claims about COVID-19 to the World Health Organization’s “myth busters” page.
Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company will also be conducting a survey asking users what symptoms they feel and will create an interactive map showing where in the world people are feeling symptoms.
Facebook is also taking Canada’s privacy commissioner to court and wants the judge to throw out all findings that show it used private user information for political purposes.
NASA has announced it will be sending two American astronauts to the International Space Station on May 27 in a SpaceX rocket.
A new website designed by Florence-based software developer Miki Lombardi uses an interactive map to show people all around the world how long lineups are for places such as grocery stores in their area.
Popular video app TikTok is giving parents and guardians the option to apply parental controls with “Family Pairing.” Parents can connect their account to their child’s, control screen time, restrict inappropriate content and control direct messaging.
TikTok also announced it will automatically be disabling direct messaging for users under the age of 16 as of April 30.
Apple announced the launch of its most affordable iPhone yet. The second generation iPhone SE is available for pre-order and will be sold for $599 Canadian.