COVID COVERAGE STARTS

SCIENTISTS have expressed concerns over the accuracy of the tracing app the State is testing.

The app, which was initially meant to launch in April, has been pushed back a number of times over privacy concerns and technical issues.

Science Foundation Ireland was asked to recruit a group of experts to test the app’s effectiveness, and it is currently being trialled by gardaí. One of the experts in the group, Professor Douglas Leith, chair of Computer Systems at Trinity College Dublin, told the Irish Mail on Sunday that tests are now being redone to see how Bluetooth technology can accurately identify people who have been in contact with a potential Covid-19 case.

Prof. Leith’s previous study raised concerns over the app’s ability to positively identify people in close proximity and he said, as of this week, those concerns are still present. ‘We’re redoing the measurements we did before,’ he added. ‘Next week some of those results will come out, it takes some time to be confident of the measurements we’re getting. Right now we’re in a bit of limbo.’

The professor said the app is simulating common situations where people would interact, such as meetings, on walks, or at the supermarket. He remarked: ‘From what I’m seeing the things that made it challenging before, they’re still there.

‘The studies are not complete and the jury is still out but there’s good reason to still have concerns over how effective it will be.’