While many countries are developing apps to track new colonovirus infections, France has expanded in an effort to achieve both public health and large -scale surveillance.It is standing on the arrow.
The French government has adopted the framework of Stopcovid, an app that concentrates data collected from the people.Privacy defenders have blamed the technique violently and have been hypocrites that they are eager to defend privacy.Stopcovid's problem was blamed for Apple.Apple has so far opposed to the introduction of this kind of function to its terminal.
The government has not given up.It claims that the anonymization of data can protect privacy even with intensive approaches, as well as the overall safety of the virus infection, and that knowledge can be obtained.Furthermore, the French government emphasizes that it is not a private company that makes decisions on public use of data, but should be the subject selected by voters.
Data is considered an important tool in dealing with the spread of infection, but the controversy in France is a global controversy of how to balance public health and privacy protection.。In order for this app to gain trust, the number of users must increase the number of users to ensure efficacy.
From the perspective of the people's understanding and technical design, for the government that is trying to balance not only the new Coronavirus but also the contradictory elements (public hygiene and privacy) that deals with future virus infections., This app will be a test stone.
"There is no risk of risk, no matter what technology is," in an article that defends the development of apps by the government, Cédric O in the French Digital Minister of Digital.
There is no absolute solution.There is some defect.(Omitted)
Stopcovid is not a normal app.Such a project is unique to the current situation where the spread of the new colon virus has caused the spread.
To date, similar virus infection tracking apps have been introduced in multiple countries.A wide range of methods are used for various issues, such as whether data should be concentrated or tracking the user position.Recently, Apple and Google tie -ups have been announced, and we have developed a contact API that enables third parties to make apps regardless of Android and iOS terminals.
In Europe, two conflicting views were shown in the operation of the app in the future.One is to save the data on the central server and match the infection there.The other is to keep the data into a user's smartphone and match there.Neither uses GPS or other position tracking methods.
In France, the details of this technology, conflicts with privacy, security risks, etc. have been reported in newspapers, and it has become a hot topic in television news, telling how important this is for the people.There is.
The government has decided to adopt a concentrated framework developed by a group called Pepp-PT.Initially, this initiative, which was initially started by German researchers, was finally imposed on a pursuit framework called Robert (Robust and Preserving Proximity Tracing Protocol).
CEO Bruno Sportisse, a French research institute, talked about Robert in mid -April, saying that the framework for data tracking has no exception, and has some conflict in privacy and security.
He also says that it is incorrect to named one approach "centralized" and the other "distributed type".Whatever the system, some information is processed on the terminal, and to some extent it goes through a common server.When it comes to Robert, all users have to opt -in.The information sent to the central server is saved using an encrypted identifier, not the real name or personal information.
This application is not a "tracking app".Only Bluetooth is used, and does not use communication standard GSM or geolocation data.
It's not a monitoring app.It is self -evident, but of course, no matter who says, it is not designed to access the list of people who are positive in virus tests or lists of people who have interacted.(Mr. Sportisse)
The French STOPCOVID app is designed in Robert's framework that utilizes the wisdom of organizations from research institutes, universities and private companies.The related organizations are INRIA, ANSSI, Capgemini, DassaultSystèmes, Insermes, Lunabee Studio, Orange, Withings, and French public health.Since the test version of the Stopcovid app is scheduled for late May, deliberations and approval will be made by the French parliament.Under the assumption that the test has been approved and the exam has succeeded, the distribution of the app will be in early June.
No one is promoting this app as a silver bullet, but this month has been emphasized as one of the tools as the city's blockade is gradually being released.
Cédric O also emphasizes that Stopcovid does not intend to monitor the people, and that downloading and launching apps is not enforced.Share information regardless of content is strictly based on opt -in.
Op -in people can convey that information if they are infected with the new colon virus.Then the app is a mechanism to notify all users near the infected person.In that case, it is up to the application user to see a medical institution.There is no information about who is infected.The app does not include information that the infected person can identify.
Regarding this French model, the National Information Freedom Committee (CNIL), an independent privacy protection agency, has taken sufficient privacy measures in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) of the EU.I have acquired the approval.Advisory organizations at the French National Electronics Conference have also given the current approval, but will hold the final opinion until they can actually verify the app.
Cédric O states the overall privacy concern:
The Stopcovid project is not a foothold for doing something.Everything is a temporary measure.The data will be deleted after a few days.There is no intention to use the app other than the expansion period.
As a framework that opposes Robert, there is a distributed contact protocol called DP-PPT (Decentralized Privacy-PRESERVING PROXIMITY Tracing).This framework has been developed by researchers from research institutions in Europe, which can be synchronized with the API developed by Apple and Google.
Before Apple and Google partnered, the new Coronavirus tracking app had various problems with the iPhone operation.For example, Apple generally does not send signals continuously to check the connection with other telephones.The latest Android device also had a certain limit to Bluetooth, but the biggest barrier in the contacters was the iPhone.
James Larus, the DP-PPT team, a member of the DP-PPT team, Director of the Federal University of Technology (EPFL), Swiss Federal University of Technology, said:
With Android smartphones, you can run both apps without any problems.The problem is Apple's smartphone.
The Singapore government has developed a next best way to deal with the Apple issue by making the app operated on the foreground and making the phone from locking.However, the battery was worn out and the privacy concerns have not been used for low -tension, and the effect has not been improved.
While the data related to the contacts remains on the user's phone, Apple decided to deal with this issue and basically adopt the government a distributed solution.In the case of a concentrated application, the contact information of the virus -infected person is uploaded to the central server.In the case of a distributed Apple-Google version of the application, if the infection is reported to the app, the server will upload the encrypted contact information to the database.
On the other hand, the app downloads this database to the user's smartphone at the same time.A recording of the infection report in the database and the apps that match the recent user's contacts are notified to the user.The main difference between this approach and his Robert framework is that an anonymized ID is not always stored on the central server.
The realistic difference is the place where the data is stored and the place where the matching is performed.This is the real difference.After all, the function of the app is the same.(Larus)
Since both frameworks depend on some kind of encryption, potential security risk remains.In the case of France, the trust of the government agency that controls the system has the trust of the app and network sufficient security.
However, in the decentralized approach, there is a risk that if the user is infected with a virus, the encryption information will be stored in another person's mobile phone.This is the only way for the system to be as safe as the mobile phone of all users.
This is one of the reasons why the French government did not adopt a distributed approach.The French Security Agency, the National Information System Security Agency (ANSSI), has decided that the distributed model is highly risky because the encrypted identifier spreads on another person's mobile phone.
Anssi is described in the letter as follows.
All distributed apps have serious risks from the viewpoint of protecting privacy and human rights.
By collecting the interaction graphs (social graphs) of each individual, large -scale monitoring is possible.That could be realized at his OS level on the mobile phone.Not only OS manufacturers but also national institutions can easily create social graphs, depending on the approach they choose.
This month, a big problem between Apple and the French government was stuck this month.In the United Kingdom, it adopted a viral infection tracking app based on the same way of thinking as France, but in Germany, he turned directions to a distributed app.
Orange's CEO Stéphane Richard, who has also cooperated with the production of French apps, has expressed a optimistic outlook on the story of the STOPCOVID app and Apple negotiations.He tells Reuters:
Meeting is held every day.I haven't reached an agreement yet (...) I'm vigorously discussing Apple and the situation is not bad.
But the French government cannot hide prolonged frustration.Cédric O said on May 5 in an interview with a business television BFM:
Apple should have been able to cooperate with improving the application operation on the iPhone.However, Apple did not want to cooperate.
Cédric O also stated that the controversy with Apple means "the oligopolistic market characteristics of the OS".It is said that the country is sacrificed for large companies.
From the French government's point of view, a healthy policy is the national responsibility, that is, sovereignty.It is the government to choose the best way to protect the French people with qualities and, despite flaws.It does not mean that the two companies we propose do not accept the APIs of both companies because they are American companies.(Omitted)
The current specifications are not accepted because technical choices are restricted.In other words, only distributed solutions can operate the iOS mobile phone completely.(Cédric O)
Cédric O further stated that France had to protect sovereignty, as "as innovative and efficiently as the current situation," "without being restricted by the choice of large companies."
What is overlooked in these technical and political controversy is that no one knows which app is really effective.Behind this is that the technology has not been proven yet.It is not clear that a sufficient number of downloads will be secured.According to epidemiologists's rough outlook, 60 % of the population needs to use apps to become an effective tracking system.
Nevertheless, Larus of Switzerland says that it is necessary to connect the app and the national medical infrastructure to have a certain impact.When the user receives the notification, you need to know the actions you need to do at that point, such as who you should contact when you want additional information, how to make a reservation.
Similarly, doctors, hospitals, Stopcovid app call centers, and inspection agencies must be ready to follow the guidelines set when they are notified by those who have been notified of the infected person.Policy officials must make a decision to see if the target person is immediately inspected or consults symptoms.
Many people are involved in this issue and requires political decisions.It is a very difficult decision, and is a unique issue for domestic politics and the country.It will not simply drop the backend of a single app adopted in a country into another country.(Larus)
Nevertheless, Larus says that although the problem surrounding the app is extremely technical, it is pleased that the problem is seriously accepted in France and European countries.In order to suppress the current infection epidemic, it will be important to correct the conflict between privacy, security, design, and guidelines for the current generation of contact apps.
However, the decision that is now made is likely to be the foundation of the future contact tracking app.If the coming virus infection apps are widely accepted and can prove their value, they will be able to avoid formulating and technical controversy in the event of the next virus infection.
Larus states that the next opportunity will always be.
If I repeat the same thing, can I be able to do the next quicker? Is there an application code for being able to act quickly again?Is the integration of the integration? Even after overcoming this crisis, the knowledge and knowledge that are being accumulated will be important.
[Via VentureBeat] @Venturebeat
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