May 27, 2020 13:00:00

A plan is under way to make the new coronavirus contact tracking application as it is in China

In

iOS 13.5 released by Apple, API for ' New Coronavirus Contact Tracking System ' jointly developed by Apple and Google was finally introduced. In addition to the systems developed by Apple and Google, public health organizations around the world have released their own apps to track who the infected person with the new coronavirus infection 'has made heavy contact with.' In China, plans are underway to evolve this new coronavirus tracking app into one that tracks the health of citizens.

Chinese city plans to turn coronavirus app into permanent health tracker | World news | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/26/chinese-city-plans-to-turn-coronavirus-app-into-permanent-health-tracker

Chinese city Hangzhou proposes permanent health tracking app with score
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/26/chinese-city-hangzhou-proposes-permanent-health-tracking-app-with-score.html

China's Plan to Make Permanent Health Tracking on Smartphones Stirs Concern-WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-plan-to-make-permanent-health-tracking-on-smartphones-stirs-concern-11590422497

In China, a new coronavirus countermeasure health tracking app that can display a QR code that can check the infection status of individuals has been introduced in the new coronavirus countermeasure. In China, this app is used to determine the range within which an individual can move.

The app was first released in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, home of

Alibaba , a leading Chinese IT company. The Hangzhou Health Commission has announced plans to extend its new coronavirus contact tracking app to allow more broader health monitoring of people.

Hangzhou City Health Commissioner Sun Yongrong said at the meeting on Friday, May 22, 2020, that the new coronavirus contact tracking app has already achieved the goal, and more will be done in the future. We proposed to integrate it with a health index to evolve it into a more versatile health tracking app.

The advanced health tracking app color codes individual status and evaluates individual health status on a 100-point scale based on medical records, physical examination results, activity level, smoking status, and other lifestyles. The app seems to display numbers and color bars showing the user's relative health status, the number of cigarettes smoked that day, the number of steps, sleep time, etc. Also, for example, drinking a glass of white wine will reduce the score by 1.5 points, and sleeping for 7 hours will increase the score by 1 point, so that the health condition is quantified.

According to local media reports, the Hangzhou City Health Commission plans to update the app by June 2020. 'The app will be a firewall to enhance people's health and immunity,' said the Hangzhou Health Commission.

However, the Hangzhou Health Commission's new coronavirus contact tracking app has historically been

viewed as a concern due to privacy concerns and uncertain behavior. In addition, The Guardian wrote, 'Finally, the app was accepted by citizens from the' necessity as a countermeasure against the new corona virus ''.

For the health tracking app proposed by Hangzhou City Health Commission, on Weibo, a popular SNS in China, 'The privacy problem caused by the app is serious except during the pandemic period' 'My smoking, drinking, sleeping habits' What kind of information does this have to do with you? '' We have no privacy at all, 'he said.

In addition, some Weibo users fear that the app may be used for 'setting insurance premiums' or 'screening job seekers' if the app becomes permanent. Therefore, engineer Lawrence Li said, 'The new app ideally protects the rights of citizens, so the health tracking feature should work after the user's permission.'

'For a new coronavirus infection tracking system, people would be willing to join the system. But apps that collect a wide range of health-related information, such as the app the authorities are planning, are available. That's a whole different story if you want to make it a 'new common sense,' said Li, who doesn't know if the new app will be widely accepted by the public.