Confirm the possibility of new virus infection "strong contact" APP in China
How likely are you to infect novel coronavirus? The application to judge that has been developed in China.
China's National Health Commission (NHC) began to provide a "strong contact detector" APP on the 8th.
The app will tell you if you are near a person who has been confirmed to be infected with the new virus, or who is suspected to be infected.
People identified as likely to be infected will be required to stay at home and notify local health authorities.
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The app, jointly developed by Chinese government agencies and the China Electronic Technology Corporation, uses data from health and transportation authorities, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
To search for information, users scan QR codes on smartphones using apps like Alipay, owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Chinese social media Wechat.
When the mobile phone number is registered in the application, the user is asked to enter the name and national ID number. Using all registered phone numbers, you can confirm the status (status) of up to 3 national ID numbers.
Highlight the surveillance of society
This technology makes it clear that the Chinese government is closely monitoring the public.
The Chinese government is known for its high level of surveillance of its citizens. But experts believe that, at least in this case of APP, it does not seem to cause controversy in China.
"in China and across Asia, information is seen as accessible, not isolated," Caroline Big, a technology lawyer at Hong Kong law firm DLA Piper, told BBC. Provide in a transparent manner with consent if necessary ".
In addition, "from the Chinese point of view, this APP is really a useful service for people." A good way to use it can fully show how powerful data can be, and it's really a powerful tool.
Strong contact is defined as
The Chinese government defines "strong contact" as being close to a person confirmed to be infected with novel coronavirus, a person suspected of being infected, and a mildly infected person who has no symptoms at all without effective prevention.
"strong contacts" include the following:
For example, all passengers and cabin crew sitting within three rows of the seat of the infected person are regarded as strong contacts. Others are said to have been recorded as having had general contact.
In the case of air-conditioned trains, all passengers and occupants in the same compartment as the infected person are considered to have strong contact.