Privacy concerns raised after Apple adds COVID-19 contact tracing tool

LOS ANGELES - Apple’s latest iPhone update brought with it a new contact tracing tool to help fight COVID-19. It’s called exposure logging which immediately sparked privacy concerns among some users. 

“If Google and Apple do exactly what they’re saying they’re going to do the way that they have designed this, it should work very well and people do not have a risk of privacy concerns..” said Cyber Security Expert Jim Stickley, CEO of Stickley on Security. 
 
He explains how to find it on your phone. 

“Go to settings, click on privacy, go to health and then you’re going to see COVID-19 exposure logging.”

Stickley says that the logging is off and will only work when the user downloads a secondary app that when enabled, will track other devices using an anonymous encrypted locator key via Bluetooth. If a user tests positive... They can enter the test result into the app which then alerts others who have come in contact with the infected person within the past 14 days.
 
“If everybody uses this thing properly it could really help and make a big difference and try to reduce the amount of exposure people have to COVID and that’s probably a good thing.” Said Stickley. 
 
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Suman Radhakrishna weighed in on the importance of contact tracing:
 
“Contact tracing is essential in controlling and reducing the number of people who are going to get infected going forward.” Said Radhakrishna.
 
She says she welcomes this technology in the fight against COVID-19. 
 
“Everybody has a cell phone, everybody has a GPS tool this is an easier and faster way of getting information out to people in real time.” Radhakrishna said.