A privacy expert says Australians should be worried about the government’s reluctance to be honest about its limitations with its coronavirus contact tracing app.
While most of the problems can be fixed, cryptographer Vanessa Teague says the lack of transparency could give the 5.3 million people who have downloaded the COVIDSafe app a false sense of security.
Independent experts have discovered a number of problems with the app, including an issue with the temporary identifiers that could lead to users being trackable for days on end.
The findings come among reports that some employers would like to make the app compulsory for employees returning to work.
The federal government hasn’t made the app compulsory.
Dr Teague says the Singapore developers quickly patched one of the problems that was also present in their version, but Australia has so far not copied that fix.
“The fact they haven’t done that yet even though they’ve shipped a new version with much prettier graphics, that to me is an indication that they don’t understand the importance of making that change,” she told AAP.
Geoff Huntley, a software developer who has led community efforts to scrutinise the code, says he no longer supports the app.
Mr Huntley says the government’s failure to fix privacy problems has broken his trust.
Many journalists contacted me asking for comment as to why I no longer support #covidsafe. Here you go.https://t.co/kMclNhkDmH https://t.co/4FDfFgCVqD
— geoffrey huntley (@GeoffreyHuntley) May 6, 2020
Diabetics have also found the app interferes with their glucose monitoring software.
Many experts say the iPhone version doesn’t work unless the phone is unlocked and the app actively in use.
Digital Transformation Agency head Randall Brugeaud insists the $1.5 million app does work but concedes its performance is “highly variable”.
There could be situations where it doesn’t record the Bluetooth “handshakes” with other users, he said.
Despite this unreliability, political leaders continue to link mass downloads of the app to easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Education Minister Dan Tehan says all teachers and university staff should download it to make sure their workplaces are safe, while Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said it was important to containing outbreaks.
“We want to get people back to work. We want to get the restaurants and small businesses reopened, and these are important steps,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.
Dr Teague said a “certain level of imperfection is normal and expected in something that’s been this rushed”.
“But it’s absolutely critical to everyone’s safety that we get honest and accurate information about how well it is working,” she said.
-with AAP
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