Tuesday, March 2, 2021
  • Setup menu at Appearance » Menus and assign menu to Top Bar Navigation
Advertisement
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News
No Result
View All Result
NikolaNews
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News
No Result
View All Result
NikolaNews
No Result
View All Result
Home Internet Security

Singapore updates contact tracing app to include foreign visitors

June 5, 2020
in Internet Security
Singapore updates contact tracing app to include foreign visitors
586
SHARES
3.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Singapore has updated its contact tracing app to facilitate travellers visiting the country as it looks to reopen its borders to foreign visitors. It also is assessing the feasibility of issuing wearable devices to every resident to aid in its contact tracing efforts, but does not specify if its use will be made mandatory. 

The Singapore government last month revealed it was developing wearable devices to help drive the adoption of contact tracing technologies and boost its efforts to contain COVID-19. It said these portable devices would address concerns about battery life and the use of Bluetooth in its contact tracing app, TraceTogether. 

You might also like

SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders

Singapore eyes more cameras, technology to boost law enforcement

Free cybersecurity tool aims to help smaller businesses stay safer online

Introduced in March, the TraceTogether app taps Bluetooth signals to detect other participating mobile devices in close proximity to allow them to identify those who have been in close contact when needed. The app identifies participating TraceTogether users who are within 2 metres of each other for more than 30 minutes. The data is then captured, encrypted, and stored locally on the user’s phone for 21 days, which spans the incubation period of the virus. 

The app, however, did not appear to work well on Apple devices as the iOS operating system would suspend Bluetooth scanning when the app was running in the background, acknowledged Vivian Balakrishan, Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative and Minster for Foreign Affairs, during a parliament session Friday.  

He noted that while his team had numerous discussions regarding technical and policy issues with Apple, they were unable to identify a satisfactory solution. 

He added that the government, at least at this point in time, did not intend to make the use of TraceTogether compulsory because the app was unable to function equally well across different smartphones. To date, the app has clocked 1.6 million downloads.

Balakrishan said: “Instead, we are developing and will soon roll out a portable wearable device that will achieve the same objective as TraceTogether, but will not depend on possession of a smartphone. If this portable device works, we may then distribute it to everyone in Singapore. I believe this will be more inclusive, and it will ensure that all of us will be protected.”

He did not specify, however, whether the carrying of such wearable devices would be made mandatory across the island. 

The minister did note that, despite its limitations, the TraceTogether app proved a useful tool in the country’s contact tracing efforts, particularly when used alongside other data sources. He added that it was able to automatically generate a preliminary list of close contacts for quarantine, hence, cutting down the time needed to isolate these individuals and stemming the spread of COVID-19. He reiterated that technology should be an enabler, not a replacement, for human involvement in contact tracing. 

App enhancements to facilitate foreign visitors, venue entry

The TraceTogether also has been updated to include the registration of passport numbers for travellers visiting Singapore as well as barcode scans to support the country’s digital check-in tool, SafeEntry. The system collects visitors’ personal data, either through QR codes or barcode scans, when they enter a venue such as supermarkets and workplaces, which then can be used to facilitate contact tracing should an individual who visited a location test positive for COVID-19. 

With the app update, TraceTogether users can use the identification number barcode displayed in the app instead of their identity cards to check in or out of the SafeEntry system. SafeEntry is mandatory at certain locations and, to date, has been deployed at more than 16,000 sites island-wide.

Singapore also is easing restrictions — put in place to curb the spread of virus — in phases, as more businesses begin to resume operations over the next month. In addition, the government is reviewing potential “fast lane” arrangements with some countries as it looks to reopen its borders for essential overseas travel. 

For instance, it has inked an agreement with China to create a fast lane for travel between Singapore and six Chinese provinces and municipalities including Chongqing, Guangdong, and Shanghai. 

Business or official travellers sponsored by government agencies also will be able to submit applications for inbound travel to Singapore from June 8. Applications for company-sponsored travellers can be submitted at a later date. 

Also with the latest update of TraceTogether, the contact tracing app now supports three other languages: Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. 

To further ease concerns about data privacy, Balakrishan said during his parliament speech that data collected for the purpose of contact tracing would be stored in the user’s own smartphone and accessed by the Health Ministry only if the individual tested positive for COVID-19.  

“There are safeguards, including encryption, in place to protect this from malicious hackers,” the minister said. “Data that is older than 25 days will be automatically deleted from your phone. If the close contact data is required for contact tracing, only a small group of authorised officers in the Ministry of Healthy will have access to it. All the public sector data protection rules will also apply.”

“Now that we have more people moving about, going to work, there will be more occasions when more people will have more close interactions with each other. Therefore, the collection and use of this data for contact tracing becomes even more essential,” he said. “It will speed up the isolation of close contacts and reduce the risk of them spreading COVID-19.”

RELATED COVERAGE

Credit: Zdnet

Previous Post

The VC's Guide to Machine Learning

Next Post

CWI designs algorithms for the improvement of Genetic Programming — CWI Amsterdam

Related Posts

SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders
Internet Security

SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders

March 2, 2021
Singapore eyes more cameras, technology to boost law enforcement
Internet Security

Singapore eyes more cameras, technology to boost law enforcement

March 2, 2021
Free cybersecurity tool aims to help smaller businesses stay safer online
Internet Security

Free cybersecurity tool aims to help smaller businesses stay safer online

March 2, 2021
Judge approves $650m settlement for Facebook users in privacy, biometrics lawsuit
Internet Security

Judge approves $650m settlement for Facebook users in privacy, biometrics lawsuit

March 1, 2021
These four new hacking groups are targeting critical infrastructure, warns security company
Internet Security

These four new hacking groups are targeting critical infrastructure, warns security company

February 28, 2021
Next Post
CWI designs algorithms for the improvement of Genetic Programming — CWI Amsterdam

CWI designs algorithms for the improvement of Genetic Programming — CWI Amsterdam

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Plasticity in Deep Learning: Dynamic Adaptations for AI Self-Driving Cars

Plasticity in Deep Learning: Dynamic Adaptations for AI Self-Driving Cars

January 6, 2019
Microsoft, Google Use Artificial Intelligence to Fight Hackers

Microsoft, Google Use Artificial Intelligence to Fight Hackers

January 6, 2019

Categories

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data
  • Blockchain
  • Crypto News
  • Data Science
  • Digital Marketing
  • Internet Privacy
  • Internet Security
  • Learn to Code
  • Machine Learning
  • Marketing Technology
  • Neural Networks
  • Technology Companies

Don't miss it

Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game
Data Science

Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game

March 2, 2021
Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status
Blockchain

Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status

March 2, 2021
Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports
Machine Learning

Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports

March 2, 2021
Data Annotation Service: a Potential and Problematic Industry Behind AI | by ByteBridge
Neural Networks

Data Annotation Service: a Potential and Problematic Industry Behind AI | by ByteBridge

March 2, 2021
SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders
Internet Security

SolarWinds security fiasco may have started with simple password blunders

March 2, 2021
Chinese Hackers Targeted India’s Power Grid Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Internet Privacy

Chinese Hackers Targeted India’s Power Grid Amid Geopolitical Tensions

March 2, 2021
NikolaNews

NikolaNews.com is an online News Portal which aims to share news about blockchain, AI, Big Data, and Data Privacy and more!

What’s New Here?

  • Companies in the Global Data Science Platforms Resorting to Product Innovation to Stay Ahead in the Game March 2, 2021
  • Aries becomes next Hyperledger project graduating to active status March 2, 2021
  • Government trialling machine learning tech to detect pests at shipping ports March 2, 2021
  • Data Annotation Service: a Potential and Problematic Industry Behind AI | by ByteBridge March 2, 2021

Subscribe to get more!

© 2019 NikolaNews.com - Global Tech Updates

No Result
View All Result
  • AI Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Machine Learning
    • Neural Networks
    • Learn to Code
  • Data
    • Blockchain
    • Big Data
    • Data Science
  • IT Security
    • Internet Privacy
    • Internet Security
  • Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Marketing Technology
  • Technology Companies
  • Crypto News

© 2019 NikolaNews.com - Global Tech Updates