Would you use the App?

Why do I find that so easy to believe? Cynical, moi?

Marc Warner is the brother of Ben Warner, who is best buddies with Dominic Cummings. He's associated with some people such as Peter(?) Thiel, who is behind a number of controversial political campaigns for Trump. He is a data scientist and it was his company which did much of the work "harvesting" names of people who were targeted in the Vote Leave campaign, along with Cambridge Analytica. They had millions of names, which they had obtained (allegedly illegally) who had shown in interest in xenophobia, reducing immigration, anti-EU, etc. They obtained the names by trawling through social media comments, so if you happened to make a joke about foreigners or said you wanted to reduce immigration, your name was added to a list and you were then sent ads on Facebook and Twitter and as spam, etc. There were so many of them that they became subliminal. Others weren't sent the messages and didn't know they existed. Warner's company has been given a number of lucrative government contracts over the last few months. It's alleged they weren't even put out to tender.

You mean Dominic Cummings brother or a vote leave brother?

Do you mean the government is only giving contracts to vote leaver voters?

The contract was given to one of his vote leave people [or his brother]; as with the Dyson ventilators it's as if contracts have to be given to people who support Brexit and the government not necessarily the people/companies that are the best ones for the job.

Also, is it definite that it was Mr Cummings who decided to go down this route and which system to use?

What information Growstuff? I don't hold anything confidential on my phone and never use it for anything confidential, nor is it linked to any other computer. I'm too concerned about losing it.

maybee my thoughts exactly.

I am also concerned about data security.

I don't have a smart phone but intended to buy one purely so that I can join the tracking scheme. However I'm not happy about joining anything that Cummings is involved with, either directly or indirectly and I've read that the UK one cannot be used in Europe and may make it difficult if we want to travel abroad in future. I have absolutely no idea why we have to use a different system to everyone else. In the same way that we didn't lock down when other countries did and will be the last country to wear masks in public places. So, yes, I do want to be tracked but not by this one. As it's for the greater good I probably will relent but I'm not happy about it.

At the moment no if it proved to be useful then yes but I think it’s a long way to prove what actually use it will be and I don’t understand why people would blindly follow a government initiative without question just because

Australia has been using it a weeek and I heard a spokesman says they re not sure how useful it will be

As soon as it’s available I’ll be downloading it. I have no fears concerning any privacy issues. I do want this virus to be beaten.

I only use my phone for texting and rarely take it when I go out - so a no from me. I don't intend to mingle with others for a very long time - so no problem, really!

That’s a surprise about the low take up rate in Singapore growstuff for all the reasons you mentioned.

For this to work, not only does a high percentage of the population need to install it, but they need to have enough faith in it to use it as it is intended.

Once doubts start to creep in, can we be sure enough people will still be fully onboard to comply with the rules?

I’m not saying I won’t take part - I honestly don’t know at this stage.

NfkDumpling One of the concerns is that your information will already have been stored, even if you subsequently uninstall the app.

Chestnut I don't suppose anybody is the slightest bit interested in me. As it is, plenty of organisations have data on me, but I hope the data is only used for legitimate purposes. I really don't trust Cummings and his mates.

It's not a question of not wanting to pull together. I have every intention of staying within my four walls for the foreseeable future, so it really doesn't make any difference as far as I'm concerned. I'm not letting any "side" down because nobody is going to infect me and I'm not going to infect anybody else. I'm doing more to stop the spread than the people who insist on bending the rules because they think a little visit to their best friend or just one hug from their grandchild won't matter.

Lastly, I did write "as things are". If improvements are made, I'll reconsider (provided my phone can cope with it). It hasn't been approved by NHS Digital and the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) has concerns about its security.

There are also concerns about whether it will actually be effective. The crucial factor is how the information is used to track people and whether those people will follow any advice given. The current evidence would suggest that some people will persist in thinking that somehow the rules don't apply to them.

In Singapore, where the population tends to be youngish and tech savvy, the take up was only 20%. The reason Singapore has been successful in reducing infection rates was old-fashioned knocking on doors.

Some info as to why is isn't a good idea

www.wired.co.uk/article/nhs-covid-19-tracking-app-contact-tracing

tech.newstatesman.com/coronavirus/palantir-covid19-datastore-coronavirus

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/28/contact-tracing-cant-be-run-by-westminster-experts-warn

I don’t think self isolating will be enforced Gill57, any more than self-isolating or shielding is now. It’s down to your conscience and sense of social responsibility.

Yes, of course I’ll install it.

But then, I don’t give a toss who knows who I am or where I live. Things which are easy to find out anyway. If the dishy bloke down the road arranges an assignation, or if I decide the time is right to break into the bank, I’ll just leave the phone at home.

After the pandemic is over, I’ll uninstall the app and/or get a new phone. But for now, in a time of emergency, things are different and some freedoms have to be put on the back burner.

Now, if they want to implant a tracking device into the back of my skull, or fix a tracker around my ankle I may object.

Yes, I probably would use it. I'm 61, in good health and I still work part-time.

I am not being suspicious and uncooperative, nor do I imagine that I will be the victim of some sort of conspiracy, but I do not want anything to do with a system which has Cummings hand in it. As far as I am concerned, him, his buddies at Cambridge Analytica did enough damage with Brexit. So what is likely to happen? I walk past someone, at a safe distance, and that person is subsequently diagnosed with Covid19; I get a text telling me this, and that I should self isolate for another two weeks. How will this be enforced? I suspect we will all be blamed for not taking part in this tardy and ill thought out exercise, it will be our fault when the deaths rise again.

Reading these comments I can't see this app ever working. So many suspicious and uncooperative people who simply won't pull together for the health of the nation. Why? Because they imagine that they will be the victim of some kind of conspiracy. As if anyone is interested in them!

I'm with you growstuff. I'm all for it BUT not if he has a hand in it. That man is not to be trusted and neither is anything he's involved with.

JenniferEccles That's why I don't think it will work effectively anyway. I'm glad you wrote that - not me.

As things are, no I wouldn't. The app hasn't yet been cleared by NHS Digital for its app store or the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). There are still concerns about data security. It uses Bluetooth rather than GPS, but it's not true that a person remains anonymous if they are infected or need to be traced.

It still hasn't been worked out what will happen if a person has been in contact with an infected person. Serco has been given the contract to trace people by phone. I know I'm being a party pooper, but my opinion is that the government is being over-reliant on smart technology, when it really needs boots on the ground from people with local knowledge. Unfortunately that won't happen because local authority public health responsibilities have been stripped to the bone.

Given Cummings' history of data mining and misuse, I remain extremely cautious.

In my case, it wouldn't matter much because I don't go out anyway.

I can’t imagine there would be any way to enforce people to self isolate for 14 days if the App alerts them that they had been in contact with a virus sufferer.

Apparently Bluetooth’s technology covers an area of approximately 30feet, way outside the range of infection.

I honestly can’t see people abiding by the’self isolate’ rule once that is known.

It also can’t differentiate between a contact made whilst indoors in a confined space or one whilst, say, walking along the seafront on a very breezy day like today.