[LINK] Coronavirus Australia: COVID-19 tracking app next step to stop outbreaks

[Tom Worthington]

On 15/4/20 11:18 am, Antony Broughton Barry wrote:

> https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/mobile-tracing-is-next-step-in-virus-battle-in-bid-to-stop-outbreaks-20200414-p54jsd.html

It would help to have someone competent and credible to reassure the 
public that the COVID-19 tracking app was fit for its intended purpose.

I suggest the Government's senior computer professional responsible for 
the app answer questions at a press conference, in the same way the 
Chief Medical Officer has been doing. The government might also make the 
details of the app available to independent experts for analysis.

Unfortunately, the Australian cabinet has not demonstrated competence, 
or credibility, on IT recently. In March, Minister Stuart Robert claimed 
myGov suffered a DDoS attack. This was not true, and either the minister 
failed to obtain expert advice, or ignored that advice. 
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/minister-backflips-on-mygov-ddos-attack-claim-539704

Professor Ross Anderson from Cambridge University recently had some 
criticism of the Apple and Google COVID-19 apps. 
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-google-coronavirus-contact-tracing-coronavirus-bound-to-fail-2020-4


-- 
Tom Worthington, MEd FHEA FACS CP IP3P http://www.tomw.net.au 
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Honorary Lecturer, Computer Science, Australian National University 
https://cecs.anu.edu.au/research/profile/tom-worthington