Tag Archives: Contact Tracing

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Selangor’s SELangkah App Prepares for Life after COVID-19

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The Malaysian state of Selangor has been busy enhancing their contact tracing application – SELangkah. The new optimisations and features gear the app to address some of the growing concerns emerging amongst Malaysians in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. With its new features, the app is now gearing up for the vaccine rollout and for a “new normal” post-COVID-19.

SELangkah is getting improvements to its core, contact tracing function. The app now allows users to access information such as Crowd Trends which allows users gauge their visits based on the customer visits to a given premises. The app provides users with a map of the locations recently afflicted with COVID-19 cases. Using this information, SELangkah is assessing the exposure risk to the virus. On the back end, the SELangkah app now provides a dashboard for law enforcement to clamp down on premises flouting the Operating Procedures announced through a Visitor Log.

The app is also adopting a GPS based check-in system which allows users to check in to the premises via their phone’s GPS instead of scanning the QR Code. The SELangkah app will also work with QR Codes issued by the Federal Government’s MySejahtera application. It also gives access to the features of the app within SELangkah. Users will now be able to access their location history as well with the new scan history. In addition, the app will be communicating regular updates from the Selangor State Government via its new bulletin board feature.

The Selangor Government is also encouraging screening through the SELangkah application. Users will be able to register for upcoming events and check their COVID-19 screening results via the application. In addition, the state government is looking to use the app to track vaccination rollout. Users are able to register for vaccination via the Register and Sign up for your Vaccine Pack (RSVP) feature that is coming to the application soon. The RSVP feature will be integrated into vendors’ stock keeping systems for better rollout.

What started off as a contact tracing app is quickly becoming the Selangor Government’s go-to application for many of its welfare efforts. The application is expanding to include commercial features which will allow those such as hawkers who have had to deal with the brunt of the pandemic to quickly adopt and adapt to changing times. Their SELangkah Biz feature is a cashless solution which looks to enable cashless payments among micro, small and medium enterprise merchants. The feature will allow these vendors to receive e-wallet payments even without a bank account.

The SELangkah app is also upping security by adopting a more secure approach they are calling SELangkah ID. The single-sign-on system is integrated across the app and allows users to use digital and biometric authentication to access the app’s growing list of features. It will also offer access to government-related services as Selangor shifts toward a more digital future.

Android, Health, iOS, Mobile, News

[COVID-19] Australia is Next in Launching COVID-19 Contact Tracing App

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About two weeks ago, a certain Cupertino based firm and a Mountain View tech giant decided to team up to create something that the world really needs. Apple and Google have decided that they are collaborating to create a framework for contact tracing apps. Singapore responded soon after with a contact tracing app that they are distributing in their own region, ‘TraceTogether’ they call it.

Source: ABC Australia

Following that is Australia, launching their own COVIDSafe app on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app is based on Singapore’s TraceTogether app, which is fundamentally is a voluntary app for users. Basically, the app will allow your device to communicate with other smartphone devices within a certain radius, a sort of “digital handshake”.

It uses your device’s Bluetooth data to trace proximity with another person. Once that is established, the app cross checks your contact list and its own servers to identify infected persons. The app will then notify users if they have been in contact with an infected person for longer than 15 minutes.

There are some security concerns over this of course. You are allowing your smartphone to share its contact information with a server and another device via Bluetooth, which is less than ideal. Still, it will only share these data when you allow the app to do so. The app will also ask for your consent to share your data if you are an infected person or if you have been infected. There are also concerns about more data being shared out with external parties and governments.

Department of Health (Australia)

The Australian government have dismissed that claims and assured its people that the app, though public and open in nature, is secure and save. Any technology that could help with the fight against COVID-19 is a welcome addition after all.

Germany is on a different approach to contact tracing though. Like Google and Apple’s approach to contact tracing, they are prioritising a little bit more privacy. Instead of storing data in a centralised sever, the app will store data only on its devices. We have not seen any implementations on that just yet though, including Google and Apple’s attempt. We should see it soon, and we are quite excited.

For now, we can only wait and see if the app helps or not. Although, in the case of Malaysia, the Movement Control Order has helped with the local efforts in the fight against the virus. Do we still need the app then? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.

Source: Department of Health (Australia), Engadget

Business, Health, News

Apple & Google Help Battle COVID-19 with Contact Tracing Technology

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The COVID-19 pandemic has been taking the world by storm. It has had an unprecedented affect on every country in the world and the world economy. The world is also beginning to realise the value of front liners such as doctors, nurses, scientists and janitors. That said, Google and Apple and lending a hand in fighting the pandemic by working together.

The companies announced a joint effort to help with the current pandemic. The effort comes in the form an APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which will help with contact tracing. Contact tracing is becoming increasingly more important in the battle against COVID-19 to help with the mitigation of the viral spread. Countries which have started or have been doing contact tracing have shown better disease control in the current pandemic.

Apple and Google are looking to assist with Contact Tracing by using Bluetooth on smartphones. The APIs will work with together with operating system level technology to allow the tracking of potential spread of COVID-19. Essentially, authorised applications will be able to use Bluetooth on both iOS and Android smartphones to help identify individuals who have potentially come in contact with infected individuals. As of right now, it seems like these APIs will be made available to government and public health agencies to help mitigate the spread of the pandemic.

Apple and Google have both stressed that user privacy, transparency and security will be central to the development of these APIs. They are looking into broader, more robust applications of the APIs being developed which allow more individuals to participate, should they choose to via an opt-in. These broader application are being explored in consultation with other interested stakeholders. The effort comes after a number of public health authorities, universities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) around the world kick started an effort to develop opt-in contact tracing technology.

The APIs and its functionality will be rolled out in stages given the dire need for contact tracing in the current pandemic. The initial stage will be the rollout of the APIs in May which will enable interoperability between the mobile platforms. Official apps using these APIs will be available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. After this, Google and Apple will be working to enhance and enable broader Bluetooth based contact tracing enabling more robust applications. The companies have stated that they will be openly publishing information their work to be analyzed by others during this process.