Irlend COVID-19 Mobile Application

The COVID Tracker App (also referred to as “the App”) which is being made available by the Irish Health Service Executive in conjunction with the Irish Department of Health, for people across the island of Ireland. The App is designed to assist in tracing cases of Covid-19 and to provide information about the virus and steps for controlling the spread of the virus.

Using the app will

• give us a better picture of the spread of the virus
• help carry out contact tracing
• link you to excellent HSE health advice if you need it
• keep you updated with notifications you can trust

Feature of COVID Tracker app

First. Contact Tracing

• The app records if users are in close contact with another app user. If an app user tests positive for COVID-19 the app will notify any app users that have been closer than two metres for more than fifteen minutes. If users choose to share their phone number, the HSE can ring to tell them what they need to do to keep themselves and others safe.
• The app uses capabilities of mobile operating systems. Apple and Google have developed a method that allows specific government-only COVID-19 apps to make use of Bluetooth technology on phones that would otherwise not be available. As the app will need to use the most current version of the phone’s operating system users may be asked to upgrade the first time they use it. None of the information in this app is ever shared with Apple or Google.

Second. Symptom Tracking: Daily Health Check-in

Users can help fight COVID-19 by telling the HSE how they are feeling every day. Anonymous information about how many people have symptoms, at any time, helps us plan how we are going to win the fight against COVID-19. If users do have symptoms, then the app will give them advice on what to do.

Third. Definitive Source of News & Information

The app will also give users easy access to the latest facts and figures about COVID-19 in Ireland and signpost them to information that will help them care for themselves if they are sick.

Forth. First time use

The first time anyone uses the app they are prompted to allow the app to collect and share the anonymous data transmitted by nearby devices that also have the app installed.

Fifth. Optional follow-up call service

When someone first uses the app they are asked how they would like us to contact them. If their phone sees that they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive our Contact Tracing Team can call them if they have chosen to share their contact phone number with us.

Sixth. Metrics Data

Metric data does not identify you and is used to create aggregate views of how the app is being used and the impact it is having on the virus. Here is a list of the app metrics which, if you consent, are collected from your app.

1. Whether the app on your phone is in use
2. Whether the app was deleted or dropped during the on-boarding screens
3. Whether the app has exposure notification services switched on
4. Whether the app has received an Exposure Notification
5. Whether the app has uploaded diagnosis keys
6. The number of diagnosis key matches per Exposure Notification
7. Number of days between the app triggering an Exposure Notification and the upload of diagnosis keys, if applicable
8. Ratio of exposure notifications to positive cases

The App gives you the option to use some or all of these features and you can enable and disable any of these features separately within the App settings. The App settings also give you the ability to remove or update any information that you provide to the App, at any time.

Seventh. Your data and privacy

The COVID Tracker app will not:

• publicly identify anyone with COVID-19
• make personal data available to the HSE without your direct consent
• use your data for any reason other than contact tracing and anonymously reporting illness levels
• Be part of this national effort

Use this app for 1 minute a day to make an important contribution to the fight against coronavirus. Protect yourself, your family, your community and the most vulnerable in society. Encourage everyone you know to download and use the COVID Tracker app where possible.

Source:

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/covid-tracker-app/why-use-the-covid-tracker-app.html