A test version of the NHS’s coronavirus contact-tracing app has been published to Apple and Google’s app stores. Council staff and healthcare workers on the Isle of Wight will be invited to install it on Tuesday, ahead of a wider roll-out on the island on Thursday.
Project chiefs have said their so-called “centralised” approach gives them advantages over a rival scheme advocated by the US tech giants and some privacy experts.
But fresh concerns have been raised.
The Information Commissioner’s Office has declared that “as a general rule, a decentralised approach” would better follow its principle that organisations should minimise the amount of personal data they collect. The House of Commons’ Human Rights Select Committee also discussed fears about plans to extend the app to record location data.
“There is an inherent risk that if you create a system that can be added to incrementally, you could do so in a way that is very privacy invasive,” cautioned law professor Orla Lynskey.
Read More: Coronavirus: UK contact-tracing app is ready for Isle of Wight downloads
