TraceTogether

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
TraceTogether
TraceTogether Logo.png
Screenshot
OpenTrace Android Screenshot.jpg
Developer(s)Government Technology Agency
Stable release
2.5.2 / 3 December 2020
Repository
Edit this at Wikidata
Written in
  • Kotlin (Android)
  • Swift (iOS)
Operating systemAndroid, iOS
Available inBengali, Burmese, Chinese, English, Hindi, Malay, Tamil, Thai
TypeDigital contact tracing
COVID-19 apps
LicenceGPL-3.0
Websitewww.tracetogether.gov.sg

TraceTogether is a digital system the Government of Singapore implemented to facilitate contact tracing efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. The main goal is quick identification of persons who may have come into close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The system initially consisted of an app, by the same name, and was later supplemented by a physical token mainly intended for elderly and children who may not own a smartphone, or those who prefer not to use the app. The app and token helps in identifying contacts such as strangers encountered in public one would not otherwise be able to identify or remember.

TraceTogether app[edit]

Main article: BlueTrace

Developed within 8 weeks by Singapore's Government Technology Agency in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH), the app was released on 20 March 2020[1]. The app utilised a custom protocol, BlueTrace, which allows for a distributed approach whereby participating devices exchange proximity information whenever an app detects another device with the TraceTogether app installed.[2][3][4]

To trace users the Ministry of Health (MOH) issues time sensitive anonymous temporary IDs that are used to identify the patient to all third parties. When two users of the app pass by, it uses the Bluetooth Relative Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) readings between devices across time to approximate the proximity and duration of an encounter between two users. This proximity and duration information is stored on one's phone for 25 days on a rolling basis.[2] Once a user tests positive for infection, the MOH works with them to map out their activity for past 14 days and requests the contact log. Facilitating the conduct of contact tracing measure to prevent further outbreak of any infectious disease, under the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137), user cannot withhold contact information log.[5]

On initial setup, users register using their mobile number before choosing a profile and entering their personal details, which may include their NRIC. The user then enables relevant functions such as Bluetooth before leaving the app to run in the background.[6] The app can also be used for SafeEntry check-in.[7]

Downloading, installing and activating (registering) the app has been made mandatory for specific populations, such as migrant workers, by the government.[8][9]

The protocol, and reference app implementations of it, were also open sourced as BlueTrace and OpenTrace respectively.[10][11]

On 7 December 2020, market research firm Gartner crowned TraceTogether as the Asia-Pacific winner for its 2020 Government Eye on Innovation award, after the firm had conducted a poll among various government organisations around the world.[12][13][14][15]

Effectiveness of the app[edit]

By 4 September 2020, about 2.4 million users had downloaded the app, with 1.4 million active users in August.[16] This is an increase from the 17% of the population who had downloaded the app in May 2020.[17] The usage of the app had been limited by the technical limitations of needing to have the application to run in the foreground on iOS devices, and battery drain,[18] but these problems had been reportedly addressed in the 2.1 version of the app released on 3 July 2020, and version 2.1.3 of 5 Aug added informational, work pass and SafeEntry QR features.[19]

With TraceTogether complementing manual contact tracing effort,[20] the contact tracing teams has improved their efficiency by reducing the time taken to identify and quarantine a close contact from four days to less than two days.[21] More than 10% of close contacts identified by TraceTogether turned positive during quarantine period,[22] the percentage may be low due to Singapore mandating mask-wearing since 14 April 2020.[23]

TraceTogether Token[edit]

On 7 June 2020, Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan announced that the government would be distributing a physical device, named TraceTogether Token, to augment the app.[24] The TraceTogether Token is designed primarily to support Singapore residents who do not own a smartphone, mainly some elderly, children aged seven and above[25] or residents with workplace restriction. The physical token helps to increase the optimal number of users required for the contact tracing system to work well, which was 75% of the population.[24] With the issuance of the device, the government aimed to achieve at least 70% of the population using either the TraceTogether Token or app.[26]

Upon the announcement of the physical device, there was a public backlash against the physical device initiative, with a petition launched to protest against the development of the device over concerns about potential privacy issues.[27] The Singapore People's Party also released a statement regarding the privacy concerns and about the potential abuse of the data.[28]

Similar to the app, the TraceTogether Token utilises BlueTooth to exchange signals with other TraceTogether Tokens or the mobile app. After encrypting the data of what devices or apps are near by, the device stores up to 25 days of information before deletion.[26] The device is designed for those who have no smartphone, which consisted of about 5% of the population. It is designed to be waterproof and its battery life is about six months. There are no physical buttons on the device, and it has a green/red light indicator for battery life and/or to indicate a fault.[26] The device does not have GPS functionality, and access to the data remains restricted among the civil service.[28]

The physical device was made available for collection from 14 September 2020.[29][30][31] On 14 December 2020, the adoption rate of the TraceTogether app and token was more than 60% of Singapore's resident population.[21] Despite falling short of the 70% adoption target that the Government had set loosen restrictions,[21] the Government later announced on the same day the loosening of restrictions to start from 28 December 2020.[32] On 23 December 2020, Balakrishnan revealed that the adoption rate had exceeded 70%.[33]

Mandatory usage of TraceTogether[edit]

The usage of either the app or the token was to be made mandatory initially by December 2020 for people attending potential high risk activities or large events, together with the usage of SafeEntry system.[34] Places where TraceTogether will be compulsory include cinemas, restaurants, workplaces, schools and shopping malls.[35]

According to the Singapore Government, this is in part to encourage the adoption of the app or the device, and at the same time answer the question of to whom a person could have passed the virus to through close contact at the event or activity.[34]

A 26 October 2020 report indicated that there was a higher than expected demand after the news of mandatory usage of TraceTogether was released.[36] Authorities also did not expect that residents would travel to different distribution points island-wide to collect the tokens[37] and had suspended collection for a day on 28 October 2020 to rework the distribution strategy.[38][39] The collection of the token at the community centres could only be made by residents in the respective constituencies, and distribution was done on a rolling basis at the constituency level,[39][40][41] with the last remaining community centres reopened for collection only on 23 December 2020.[42] A Straits Times editor, Irene Tham advocated on 30 October 2020 for the tokens to be distributed first and mandate the usage later.[43] Tham also suggested a similar queue system to that of telcos registering customers and assigning time slots could be adopted to avoid overcrowding at the collection points as it was noted that a crowd formed and lasted for a couple of hours at Marsiling Community Centre for a couple of hours even after that distribution strategy was reworked.[43]

On 2 November 2020, Ministry of Education postponed its requirements for students to use either the app or token for entry to school from 1 December 2020 to when until all tokens have be distributed.[44] As with what Tham had raised in her news report on 30 October 2020 about the coordination of the timelines between the token collection and mandatory usage,[43] the Member of Parliament for Mountbatten, Lim Biow Chuan had also questioned the timeline of the mandatory usage at public venues such as cinemas in the Parliament on 4 November 2020 as his constituency was scheduled to distribute the tokens only from 14 December 2020 onwards.[37] On 14 December 2020, the mandatory usage of TraceTogether app or token had been pushed back to early 2021 to allow for more residents to collect the token.[45]

Privacy and data[edit]

TraceTogether is designed to preserve the privacy of users,[46] but in contrast to alternative approaches, is not anonymous as participants have to register the app using their phone number and national registration number or other evidence of residency. To safeguard participant's mutual privacy and ensuring their control over the data, TraceTogether:[47]

  • Stores limited data. Data over 25 days old is deleted automatically. When signing up, a random User ID is generated and associated with the mobile number. Both the mobile number and User ID are stored in a secure government server. All data from or about other phones will not be accessed, unless the user has been in close contact with a COVID-19 case and is contacted by the contact tracing team.
  • Does not collect data about location via GPS or Wi-Fi, however fine-grained location tracking is possible using Bluetooth.[48] TraceTogether uses Bluetooth to approximate distance to other nearby phones running the same app.
  • Creates temporary IDs that change regularly.
  • Allows consent revoking via an email to a government agency. If a user opts out, their contact information is deleted from the MOH servers, meaning any log entries they appear can no longer be matched to them.[46][49]
  • Prompts disabling TraceTogether's functionality once contact tracing ceases.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Singapore launches TraceTogether mobile app to boost COVID-19 contact tracing efforts". channelnewsasia.com. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  2. ^ a b "How does TraceTogether work?". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  3. ^ "BlueTrace Protocol". bluetrace.io. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  4. ^ Sharwood, Simon. "Singapore to open-source national Coronavirus encounter-tracing app and the Bluetooth research behind it". www.theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  5. ^ "Can I say no to uploading my TraceTogether data when contacted by the Ministry of Health?". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  6. ^ "How do I set up TraceTogether?". TraceTogether FAQs. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  7. ^ "How do I use the SafeEntry barcode feature within the TraceTogether app?". TraceTogether FAQs. 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  8. ^ "COVID-19: New app launched to help monitor and report migrant workers' health status". CNA. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  9. ^ Wong, Lester (2020-06-16). "All foreign workers have to download and activate TraceTogether app by June 19: MOM". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  10. ^ Baharudin, Hariz (2020-04-10). "Coronavirus: S'pore contact tracing app now open-sourced, 1 in 5 here have downloaded". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  11. ^ Yu, Eileen. "Less than half in Singapore willing to share COVID-19 results with contact tracing tech". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  12. ^ "TraceTogether initiative wins global award for innovative use of tech". techtelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  13. ^ "TraceTogether programme wins international award for innovative use of tech". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  14. ^ "Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government 2020". gartner.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  15. ^ "Gartner announces winners of the 2020 Government Eye on Innovation Award press release". gartner.com. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  16. ^ "Low community prevalence of COVID-19, 0.03% of people with acute respiratory infection test positive: Gan Kim Yong". CNA. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  17. ^ "Only 17% of Singapore population downloaded TraceTogether app, experts urge to make it mandatory". The Online Citizen. 2020-05-05. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  18. ^ "Singapore to launch TraceTogether Token device for COVID-19 contact tracing". MobiHealthNews. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  19. ^ "TraceTogether". apps.apple.com. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  20. ^ "TraceTogether - Community-driven Contact Tracing". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  21. ^ a b c Chew, Hui Min (14 December 2020). "TraceTogether adoption up to more than 60% as privacy concerns wane; users still bothered about battery drain". CNA. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  22. ^ Lee, Yoolim (2020-12-08). "Singapore App Halves Contact-Tracing Time, Top Engineer Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  23. ^ Ang, Hwee Min; Phua, Rachel (2020-04-14). "COVID-19: Compulsory to wear mask when leaving the house, says Lawrence Wong". CNA. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  24. ^ a b hermesauto (2020-06-08). "Contact-tracing device will not track location; people can use TraceTogether if they prefer, says Vivian Balakrishnan". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  25. ^ "Compulsory TraceTogether check-in from end December 2020". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  26. ^ a b c "Explainer: How the TraceTogether token works, where to collect it". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  27. ^ hermes (2020-06-13). "Getting buy-in for TraceTogether device and future Smart Nation initiatives". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  28. ^ a b "New TraceTogether token to have no GPS or internet connectivity to track user's whereabouts: Vivian Balakrishnan". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  29. ^ hermesauto (2020-06-08). "Covid-19 contact tracing device will not be an electronic tag, to be rolled out in June". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  30. ^ "TraceTogether tokens to be distributed free to all S'pore residents from Sept 14". The Straits Times. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  31. ^ "How to collect your free TraceTogether token: 5 things to know about the device". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  32. ^ Lai, Linette (2020-12-14). "Singapore to enter phase 3 on Dec 28: Groups of 8 to be allowed for social gatherings". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  33. ^ "70% of Singapore residents participating in TraceTogether programme: Vivian Balakrishnan". CNA. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  34. ^ a b "Use of TraceTogether app or token to be made compulsory for people attending large events, high-risk activities". TODAYonline. 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  35. ^ Wong, Lester (2020-10-20). "TraceTogether check-ins to be compulsory at public venues in S'pore by end-December". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  36. ^ "'High demand' for TraceTogether tokens at collection centres, S'poreans advised not to rush to collect". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  37. ^ a b Wong, Lester (2020-11-05). "Demand for TraceTogether tokens higher than expected". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  38. ^ "TraceTogether token collection suspended for a day, to be distributed one constituency at a time from Oct 29". CNA. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  39. ^ a b "TraceTogether token collection suspended for a day, to be distributed one constituency at a time from Oct 29". CNA. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  40. ^ "TraceTogether Tokens to be distributed at the constituency level". Smart Nation Singapore. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  41. ^ "TraceTogether Token collection at community centres to be restricted to residents within the constituency only". Smart Nation Singapore. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  42. ^ "TraceTogether Adoption Surpasses 70% CCs to Re-open For Token Collection Progressively". Smart Nation Singapore. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  43. ^ a b c Tham, Irene (2020-10-30). "Distribute TraceTogether tokens first, mandate its use at venues later". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  44. ^ Yong, Clement (2020-11-02). "TraceTogether for schools only when all tokens given out". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  45. ^ "Mandatory TraceTogether check-in pushed back from Dec to early next year". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  46. ^ a b Bay, Jason; Kek, Joel; Tan, Alvin; Chai, Sheng Hau; Lai, Yongquan; Tan, Janice; Tang, Anh Quy. "BlueTrace: A privacy-preserving protocol for community-driven contact tracing across borders" (PDF). Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  47. ^ "TraceTogether Privacy Safeguards". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  48. ^ "Mind the GAP: Security & Privacy Risks of ContactTracing Apps" (PDF). Arxiv.org. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  49. ^ "How can I stop sharing my data?". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TraceTogether&oldid=997618211"