Apple and Google's Tracing Tool Should Get Trump’s Buy-In

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Nearly all global health officials agree that as countries plan their emergence from the pandemic lockdown, an effective Covid-19 mitigation strategy requires a comprehensive and effective contact-tracing plan, along with pervasive testing and self-isolation protocols. And so, dozens of countries around the world are scrambling to build Covid-19 contact-tracing apps — except, that is, for the U.S., which  has been strangely quiet on the matter. This is befuddling, especially when America’s best and brightest tech companies are offering a powerful proposal on a platter.

To much fanfare last month, Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced a partnership to develop technology that will enable apps from public health authorities to do contact tracing. At the time, I wrote that this unprecedented joint effort by the two giants had the promise to turn the tide against the pandemic by potentially scaling to billions of smartphone users, while protecting the public’s privacy through smart engineering.

The good news is, several countries in Europe — including Germany, Italy and Austria — are starting to coalesce around the Apple-Google contact-tracing technology. And even the U.K. is now assessing whether to switch to the plan, which is likely gaining traction due to the higher likelihood of user adoption, better reliability and increased battery life.

In terms of the latest timeline, Apple-Google reiterated last week they will release software in mid-May that will allow apps from public health authorities to do contact tracing across both Android and iPhone platforms. The two companies confirmed they will add the capability in the future into their operating systems, so it won’t require the use of a separate app. The tech giants also said the use of the technology will be restricted to one app per country to avoid fragmentation. But they added — seemingly nodding at the U.S.’s state-by-state reopenings — that if a country chooses to adopt a regional or state approach, the companies are prepared to support those authorities, too. Even so, this is an initiative that could use federal support, something it doesn’t seem to be happening now. 

While press reports in Europe are filled with stories about governments frantically making big decisions and hiring companies to make their apps, along with reports of expected release dates within weeks, there has been no such nationwide effort here in the U.S., from what I can see. In fact, the Trump administration’s near silence on the Apple-Google plan over the past month after President Donald Trump’s initial comments last month isn’t a good sign. During a mid-April press conference, Trump said the Apple-Google contact-tracing technology was an “amazing thing,” but “we have more of a constitutional problem.” He added the proposal will be discussed with “a lot of people” in the coming weeks. The constitutionality question is perplexing given the explicit user consent required by Apple-Google’s technology.

But what is likely happening, regrettably, is the government may be too worried about the political risk in partnering with Silicon Valley on anything pertaining to health and privacy. Following Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica data-privacy scandal a couple years ago, many consumers do not trust Big Tech with their personal information and aren’t willing to give companies any benefit of the doubt.

If that is the case, it’s extremely unfortunate because Apple-Google have created a system that vigorously protects user privacy. It uses anonymous ID keys that will change often. It is opt-in only and can be turned off at any time. The service also doesn’t track physical locations or collect data that could reveal a person’s identity. And instead of GPS, it uses proximity-based short-range Bluetooth technology to guard against location tracking. Moreover, the identities of users aren’t known to others or the companies. Apple-Google has promised to disable the technology once the pandemic is over as well. After reviewing the initial proposal, even the American Civil Liberties Union said it was a “strong start,” citing its privacy controls, lack of location tracking and voluntary nature.

Of course, technology isn’t a complete answer. Traditional manual and labor-intensive contact tracing through case workers and interviews are also required. But it is clear, countries around the world are betting tech tools such as contact-tracing apps can be a critical contributing pillar in an effective Covid-19 mitigation plan.

For the technology to be to be effective in the U.S., it requires Washington to be fully on board to ensure the wide adoption it needs. The only way that happens is for the federal government to actively promote the contact-tracing plan and calm people’s fears by explaining the privacy-protection mechanics. Further, we need to institute a sense of common civic duty and purpose for everyone to participate.

Yes, it will take some courage to overcome concerns on political blowback. But the alternative is far worse, because for a true economic recovery to happen, citizens need to feel they can safely shop or go back to work. And that only comes from a competent Covid-19 mitigation plan. Doing nothing isn’t a viable strategy.

So for now, Apple-Google are serving up a plan that has the potential to get nearly everyone involved and move the needle in the fight against the virus. To not take this golden opportunity would be unfortunate to say the least. The U.S. should move quickly before it is too late.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tae Kim is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Barron's, following an earlier career as an equity analyst.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.