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posted by martyb on Monday April 13 2020, @05:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the proximity:-opposite-sides-of-the-same-wall dept.

Ross Anderson, a researcher at the Security Group at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, has written about contact tracing in the real world enumerating in detail some of the many shortcomings with and false assumptions about contact tracing as means of fighting a pandemic.

There are also real systems being built by governments. Singapore has already deployed and open-sourced one that uses contact tracing based on bluetooth beacons. Most of the academic and tech industry proposals follow this strategy, as the “obvious” way to tell who’s been within a few metres of you and for how long. The UK’s National Health Service is working on one too, and I’m one of a group of people being consulted on the privacy and security.

But contact tracing in the real world is not quite as many of the academic and industry proposals assume.

First, it isn’t anonymous. Covid-19 is a notifiable disease so a doctor who diagnoses you must inform the public health authorities, and if they have the bandwidth they call you and ask who you’ve been in contact with. They then call your contacts in turn. It’s not about consent or anonymity, so much as being persuasive and having a good bedside manner.

He is not alone in pointing out that claims of being able to anonymize personal data have largely been proven to be bunk. The rules we set in place now will be with us for a long time and have far-reaching effects. The need to be given an appropriate level of consideration.

Security researcher Bruce Schneier posted his concerns on the same contract tracing story.

Previously:
(2020-04-11) Apple and Google are Launching a Joint COVID-19 Tracing Tool for IOS and Android
(2020-04-08) Senators Raise Privacy Questions About Google's COVID-19 Tracker
(2014-10-16) How Nigeria Stopped Ebola


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @08:09PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @08:09PM (#982200)

    I go to the store and everyone at the store has been in 'contact' or close proximity with me.

    I touch or cough or sneeze on a surface and leave the store and an hour later anyone at the store can come into contact with that surface and contract the infection.

    Are they going to trace everywhere I have been and everyone that has encountered me and everything I touched and everyone that everyone that has encountered me has been and everything they have touched?

    Contract tracing is better than nothing but it's not foolproof. It has its limitations. In combination with other protective measures (ie: perhaps wearing a mask while in public, stores ensuring they regularly clean items, minimizing the extent that everyone touches items they don't need at the grocery store and perhaps having tongs available to grab fruits and vegetables with and cleaning those regularly as well. Making sure staff washes hands after using the bathroom. I know that sounds obvious but it needs to be said because apparently some staff don't care) could help reduce (though perhaps not completely eliminate) the spread of infections.

    TLDR: Contact tracing is good but not perfect.

  • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Monday April 13 2020, @09:28PM (3 children)

    by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Monday April 13 2020, @09:28PM (#982231) Journal

    You must live in the boonies. Here you don't get into the store without a mask and you get a hoop of hand sanitizer on entry. Don't like it - leave.

    --
    SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @10:09PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @10:09PM (#982258)

      I "apologized" to you TRANNY twisto https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?cid=937346&sid=35327 [soylentnews.org] ? FUCK NO, not ever: That's NOT me but I DESTROYED YOU PUBLICLY on every level including proving you barb stalk me on THIS SITE https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=33430&page=1&cid=889582#commentwrap [soylentnews.org] with more proof QUOTED FROM YOU DIRECTLY barbara (tom) hudson proving are a technical incompetent brain-damaged transsexual fool BULLSHIT ARTIST FUCKUP worthless creep that also failed on tech vs. me.

      My post LITERALLY also shows links to stopping hundreds of threats of MANY KINDS via hosts (since 99% of malicious threats online use hostnames - block them as I do in hosts (less overhead vs. ANYTHING else by FAR & pure kernelmode TCP/IP stack efficient no less)? Can't TOUCH you nor you it. That's ONLY a 1 year only as a sample and I'd done TONS MORE many hundreds more at slashdot before that and yes 99% use hostnames so hosts work against them harming you).

      So much for your usual lies barb and useless online troll chatterbox you has never done better work and I fairly challenged you to show you did. You have not.

      NOW: You RESORTING TO IMPERSONATING ME on your end only PROVES I really got to you barb/tom hudson tranny.

      So much so you are reduced to showing us your true scum bag self in fact. Thought YOU were going to SUE me? LMAO for what? FACTS ABOUT YOU??? LOL!

      * YOU WILL ALWAYS FAIL vs. me just as you FAILED @ being a MAN & since you couldn't GET ANY PUSSY you (lmao) DECIDED in your DRUG ADDLED BRAIN to SLICE OFF YOUR COCK & build your OWN pussy (only way you'd "get some", ever).... OMG!

      Only thing that "looks like SHIT" is you you FUCKED UP abomination of desolation freak.

      APK

      P.S.=> Hey FREAK? I'm going to PUBLICLY EMBARRASS YOUR ASS SO BAD on this site you will have to SLINK AROUND IN SHAME publicly but then, "your kind" (massive MASSIVE total losers in life) are USED to that, aren't you? You don't LIKE IT but I LOVE doing it, exposing you as the TRASH you are fucker... apk

    • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @10:53PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2020, @10:53PM (#982280)

      See subject: All the downmods vs. these facts, lol - I "apologized" to you TRANNY twisto https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?cid=937346&sid=35327 [soylentnews.org] ? FUCK NO, not ever: That's NOT me but I DESTROYED YOU PUBLICLY on every level including proving you barb stalk me on THIS SITE https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=33430&page=1&cid=889582#commentwrap [soylentnews.org] with more proof QUOTED FROM YOU DIRECTLY barbara (tom) hudson proving are a technical incompetent brain-damaged transsexual fool BULLSHIT ARTIST FUCKUP worthless creep that also failed on tech vs. me.

      My post LITERALLY also shows links to stopping hundreds of threats of MANY KINDS via hosts (since 99% of malicious threats online use hostnames - block them as I do in hosts (less overhead vs. ANYTHING else by FAR & pure kernelmode TCP/IP stack efficient no less)? Can't TOUCH you nor you it. That's ONLY a 1 year only as a sample and I'd done TONS MORE many hundreds more at slashdot before that and yes 99% use hostnames so hosts work against them harming you).

      So much for your usual lies barb and useless online troll chatterbox you has never done better work and I fairly challenged you to show you did. You have not.

      NOW: You RESORTING TO IMPERSONATING ME on your end only PROVES I really got to you barb/tom hudson tranny.

      So much so you are reduced to showing us your true scum bag self in fact. Thought YOU were going to SUE me? LMAO for what? FACTS ABOUT YOU??? LOL!

      * YOU WILL ALWAYS FAIL vs. me just as you FAILED @ being a MAN & since you couldn't GET ANY PUSSY you (lmao) DECIDED in your DRUG ADDLED BRAIN to SLICE OFF YOUR COCK & build your OWN pussy (only way you'd "get some", ever).... OMG!

      Only thing that "looks like SHIT" is you you FUCKED UP abomination of desolation freak.

      IDIOT THAT OWNS THIS SITE: Do you REALLY *THINK* (beyond your abilities MORON vs. me) YOU CAN "HOLD ME OUT/DOWN"? You've tried to for DAYS just as /. did ONLY TO HAVE ME FUCKING SHOW EVERYONE YOU ARE A POWERLESS FUCK vs. me (& believe me - IF I wanted to? I could DROP THIS SITE OFFLINE in minutes, but it is MORE FUN to expose YOU & this shitbag LYING scum TRANZOID barbara hudson, publicly - QUESTION: HOW DO SHITBAGS like you ALL live with yourselves?)

      APK

      P.S.=> Hey FREAK? I'm going to PUBLICLY EMBARRASS YOUR ASS SO BAD on this site you will have to SLINK AROUND IN SHAME publicly but then, "your kind" (massive MASSIVE total losers in life) are USED to that, aren't you? You don't LIKE IT but I LOVE doing it, exposing you as the TRASH you are fucker... apk

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2020, @12:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2020, @12:35AM (#982317)

      I live in California. Yeah, right now, they're starting to require a mask though I haven't really seen hand sanitizer on entry yet.

      My point is that contact tracing, alone, is probably not enough. It helps but needs to be complemented with other measures (such as the other measures that are being implemented like the ones you mention).