Two individuals who used California’s state public health COVID-19 contact tracing app have filed a lawsuit against its developer, Google, claiming the tool exposes user data and violated their privacy, among other allegations.
The Google-Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) System was developed by the tech giants to support governments and public health agencies control the spread of the coronavirus. The tech leans on proximity data gathered from Bluetooth functions of mobile devices and alerts individuals of potential exposure.
At the time of the announcement in April 2020, Google provided a detailed plan of its privacy policies that included a requirement of explicit user consent, along with a list of frequently asked questions to reiterate the companies’ privacy policies.
Those policies included ensuring the generation of tracking keys linked to the user’s device were randomized, instead of mathematically pulling the data from the user’s private key. The tech companies also pledged to disable the service once the pandemic had been contained.
The announcement was met with a host of concerns from a range of privacy stakeholders, particularly around user consent and the heavy reliance on APIs. The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) stressed that the apps may not sufficiently protect the personal information of consumers.
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