NHS reveals details of contact-tracing app it hopes will stop spread of coronavirus

Creators pledge to protect privacy and security of data amid concern from experts

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The NHS has revealed details of the upcoming contact-tracing app it hopes will stop the spread of coronavirus.

The app will look to track people as they move around, and use people's phones to understand when they come into contact with each other. When they are nearby a person who is found to have coronavirus, they will receive a notification, as well as advice for how they should respond to protect themselves and stop the spread of the virus.

Now the NHS has revealed more details on how that app will actually work, and how it will protect the privacy of the people who use it. It also says that it will arrive "in the coming weeks", in a new blog post attributed to Matthew Gould, the chief executive of technology group NHSX, and the app's programme lead Geraint Lewis.

The app will rely on Bluetooth Low Energy to keep a log of how close a phone and its owner are to any other people with the app. If someone becomes ill with covid-19 symptoms and informs the NHS, the app will then trigger an anonymous alert on any phones that person had come into "significant contact with over the previous few days".

All of the tracking will be done anonymously, the health service says, and nobody will be able to tell who led to the triggering of any given alert. The data will be protected on the phone rather than on NHS servers, and any data that it does collect will only be used within the NHS.

It also said that it had worked with privacy experts to build the app, and would continue to do so as it is released to the public. The design underlying the app will be made public so that privacy and technology experts will be able to examine exactly how it works.

As well as offering the contact-tracing options, in the future people will be able to share more personal information, which the NHS says it will use to "identify hotspots and trends". "Those of us who agree to provide this extra information will be playing a key role in providing additional information about the spread of COVID-19 that will contribute towards protecting the health of others and getting the country back to normal in a controlled way, as restrictions ease," it said.

Like other similar apps around the world, the NHS plan to create a contact-tracing app has drawn considerable concern from privacy experts and campaign groups. Many have worried that the data could be compromised or used later for other purposes, but the NHSX said that it was working to ensure that it will protect the privacy and security of any information collected.

"We have prioritised security and privacy in all stages of the app’s development, starting with the initial design, and user testing," it said. "We have drawn on expertise from across government and industry to review our design and help test the app. We are working with Apple and Google on their welcome support for tracing apps around the world.

"As part of our commitment to transparency, we will be publishing the key security and privacy designs alongside the source code so privacy experts can “look under the bonnet” and help us ensure the security is absolutely world class."

The creators also make reference to the fact that the app will require widespread takeup if it is to have a significant effect on the spread of coronavirus. A study last week from one of the organisations advising NHSX on th ee app suggested that it would require an adoption rate of 80 per cent to have a large impact.

"This new app has the potential to contribute towards the country returning to normality - but only if a large proportion of the population installs it," the blog post concludes. "Which means that millions of us are going to need to trust the app and follow the advice it provides. To earn that trust, we will continue to work based on transparent standards of privacy, security and ethics."