# Turn on the location history on your phone - Contact tracing



## iamaspinner (5 Apr 2020)

Apologies if this topic has been already mentioned in a different thread but after a search I couldn't find anything related to it.

I thought it would be a good idea to turn on the location history in my (mobile) phone to aid contact tracing should I be diagnosed with or merely start showing covid-19 symptoms. Contact tracing has also been mentioned by the experts more recently in relation to asymptomatic cases.

Once this feature is turned on it would be very easy to quickly view all your movements including length of time spent at locations with a few taps of your fingers. Who doesn't go to the toilet with their phone?

Because of the current lock down this may not be so relevant for the majority of us right now, but there are still some people out there working in different places on a daily basis.

It will be more important when they start to gradually lift the restrictions and we begin to go back to our more social lives.

I think that at this moment in time the pros of recording my every movement far outweigh my concerns about privacy and data protection (which I'm sure is not very private due to the mere fact of having a mobile phone turned on).


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## SPC100 (5 Apr 2020)

IIUC in Korea mobile phone locations was used heavily.

When someone was diagnosed, alerts were sent to people who has passed through the area at the same time / shortly after.


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## Daithi7 (6 Apr 2020)

SPC100 said:


> IIUC in Korea mobile phone locations was used heavily.
> 
> When someone was diagnosed, alerts were sent to people who has passed through the area at the same time / shortly after.



This just seems to make so much sense to me. What I like about it is :
-It's a very good use of technology imho
-It should be automatable to a good degree e.g. when someone is diagnosed, using their mobile history, each user that was near them could theoretically be texted by a bot automatically with links to best practices and health guidlelines, etc, etc
-It would be quick & easy

the issues may be:
-granularity (to what level of accuracy can mobile phone location history work?)
-GPDR and data privacy issues- personal & societal - legislation to ensure these are temporary powers & clearly ringfenced for public health emergencies, etc


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## Leo (7 Apr 2020)

Daithi7 said:


> -granularity (to what level of accuracy can mobile phone location history work?)



If you have location services enabled on your phone, it is generally very accurate, that level of data can only be retrieved from your phone or your OS/location services provider (usually Google or Apple).  Access to the network data will get you less accurate results. In built up areas, they can use signal strength reported by multiple masts to triangulate your area, but in more remote that doesn't work so well. 



Daithi7 said:


> -GPDR and data privacy issues- personal & societal - legislation to ensure these are temporary powers & clearly ringfenced for public health emergencies, etc



That's one of the dilemmas arising out of this. States with more big-brother surveillance are better able to manage the outbreak. Movement restrictions in the likes of China were much better observed than elsewhere because people were aware of the tools the authorities had at their disposal.


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## Daithi7 (17 Apr 2020)

It looks like these mobile tracing apps are going to play a major role in the next phase of Covid 19 measures.  Testing & contact tracing are going to be the key to having the most lax measures in place,  with the maximum number of people back at work, etc and still being able to shut down any breakouts of C19 as they crop up in the community, which they will. 

This will be best achieved with automated contact tracing apps,  like South Korea used to such good effect,  and with the EU & Germany endorsing one during the week,  it's only a matter of time imho,  when you won't be allowed out& about without one enabled on your phone.

Big brother is going to be watching us for several months ahead, ironically to best protect our own and fellow citizens health& welfare in these crazy , sometimes scary pandemic times....


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## mathepac (17 Apr 2020)

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						Private Kit - Location Logging
					

Private Kit - Location Logging via your mobile device:     I know, if you contract the virus and become ill, it's rather like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted, but in such an eventuality, it may prove useful to be able to track where you've been and act as an aide memoire to...



					askaboutmoney.com


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