The COVIDSafe App
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The COVIDSafe app was developed as a means of tracing interactions between the community and individuals who test positive to COVID-19. This means if you have come in contact with a known case, you will be notified sooner, giving you time to get tested and decreasing the risk that you may pass on the virus to your family and friends or other members of the community.
COVIDSafe works by anonymously logging each time a COVIDSafe user comes in contact with another COVIDSafe user. For an interaction to be logged, the users must be within approximately 1.5 meters of one another, for a duration of about 15 minutes or more. Importantly, the COVIDSafe app does not collect data on your location, only your interactions.
When you download the app onto your smartphone, you are asked to provide your name (this can be a pseudonym if preferred), age range, mobile number and postcode. Upon registering, a unique encrypted reference code is assigned to your device. This code, along with any other codes logged from other COVIDSafe users you may have been in contact with is encrypted and stored securely on your phone.
If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can upload their log to their state or territory health department, enabling health officials to quickly notify anyone who has been in contact with the known case. State and territory health officials can therefore only access the app information if the affected individuals consent to uploading their data. In addition, privacy will be protected through legislation that prohibits the storage or communication of your data outside of Australia. At the end of the pandemic, users will be instructed to delete the app. All collected data that is either stored on personal devices or that has been provided to state and territory health officials will be destroyed.
COVIDSafe is the best and most efficient way to manage the community spread of COVID-19. By downloading and registering you are helping to stop the spread and keep ourselves and each other healthy.
