【Hollywood Archives】

Who gave you the coronavirus,Hollywood Archives and how many people did you give it to?

As a pandemic sweeps the globe, charting the course of the coronavirus is vital public health work. On Friday, Google and Apple announced a combined effort to facilitate contact tracing — that is, the work of identifying who came in contact with an infected individual and was possibly exposed to the virus.

As one might expect, the tech giants are taking a tech-focused approach. Their plan is twofold, and involves the introduction of a cross-platform API and a "Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform."

"Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design," reads the announcement.

Related Video: Why is the U.S. failing at coronavirus testing?

The rollout will take place over the next several months. The first step involves official apps that people can download via the App Store or Google Play store — depending on their mobile operating system.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"First, in May, both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities," explains the release, which, notably, does not specify which apps or which public health authorities.

This, however, is only the first step.

Arm  in digital arm. Credit: apple / google

"Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms," continues the release. "This is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more individuals to participate, if they choose to opt in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities."

It's worth emphasizing six words in the above sentence: "if they choose to opt in." This is important, because it suggests neither Apple nor Google has the intention of sweeping all of their combined users up into a currently nebulous contract-tracing dragnet.

SEE ALSO: As coronavirus spreads, yet another company brags about tracking you

The pandemic, and the corresponding desire to track people's movement, has brought numerous location-tracking companies out of the woodwork. Apple and Google may be more familiar names than the likes of Unacast or Tectonix, but that doesn't necessarily make their data collection any less worthy of scrutiny.

As the two tech behemoths work together, let's hope we all remember that.

Topics Apple Cybersecurity Google Privacy COVID-19

• Entertainment
• Science
• Social Good
• Life
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Shopping
• Games

• Operation Mensch
• Notes from a Bookshop: Early Autumn, or Winter’s Coming by Kelly McMasters
• And the Pantone Color of the Year Is… by Sadie Stein
• On Sylvia Plath’s “Nick and the Candlestick”
• Useful or Little Known Android Features
• What We’re Loving: Screwball, Gothic, and Southern, to Name a Few by The Paris Review
• It Was Too Strong: An Interview with Todd Hido
• Here Be Dragons by Sadie Stein
• The strangeness of Japan's decision to start openly hunting whales
• Jeeves, Redux, and Other News by Sadie Stein

• Best Prime Day deal: Save up to 65% on books during Prime Day
• Best Prime Day Chromebook deals: Asus, Acer, and more
• China sees 400% y
• Prime Day streaming deal: Paramount+ with Showtime is 50% off for two months
• Emmy nominations 2024: 'Shōgun' and 'The Bear' lead the pack
• Watch SpaceX's Starship explode in giant fireball during latest test
• Best Kindle deals on Amazon Prime Day 2024 day two
• Japan’s Nissan receives more than 20,000 non
• 5 products that are cheaper this Prime Day than they were last Black Friday
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 17

• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 23
• Claire Vaye Watkins Wins Dylan Thomas Prize by Sadie Stein
• See You There: St. Mark’s Fundraiser by Sadie Stein
• Recapping Dante: Canto 9, or Dial V for Virgil by Alexander Aciman
• WhatsApp launches 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to protect sensitive conversations
• Smut by Sadie Stein
• Amateur Night by Adam Wilson
• Recapping Dante: Canto 6, or Crowdsourcing by Alexander Aciman
• Dell S3422DWG Gaming Monitor deal: save $100 at Amazon
• The High School Literature Zodiac

• The State of PC Gaming in 2016
• Loveland by Matt Weinstock
• Incest Taboo by Sadie Stein
• Twiggy and the Gang by Yona Zeldis McDonough
• The Best Gaming Concept Art of 2016
• Nail Art by Sadie Stein
• See You There: St. Mark’s Fundraiser by Sadie Stein
• Recapping Dante: Canto 8, or High Drama by Alexander Aciman
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Recapping Dante: Canto 5, or A Note on the Translation by Alexander Aciman