The GuideSafe app that alerts users if they have been near a person who tested positive for COVID-19 became available to every person in the state of Alabama this week.
GuideSafe, available for free on iPhones and Android devices, takes advantage of new Exposure Notification System technology introduced by Apple and Google to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
“For it to truly be effective, it’s going to take a large percentage of Alabamians downloading this app and using it to report any positive cases,” said Sue Feldman, R.N., MEd, Ph.D., professor and director of graduate programs in health informatics at UAB, in a release.
Alabama is among the first states to take advantage of the technology made available by Google and Apple that powers the app. Nearly half the other American states are working on similar projects.
The technology uses low-energy Bluetooth to communicate with nearby cellphones that also have the app. It logs if you have been within six feet of someone for more than 15 minutes. The app works while in the background so users do not need to have it open on their phones for it to transmit.
If a person tests positive for the coronavirus and enters that into their copy of the GuideSafe app, all the phones that have been within six feet of the newly diagnosed for more than 15 minutes get notified of the exposure.
The companies involved promise every measure possible has been taken to protect the privacy of the users.
“The app never records location or identity or accesses your contact list. Instead, the app generates a random code for each user phone. This random code then changes every 10 to 20 minutes to preserve security,” advises guidance from UAB.
The app was built by the Birmingham-based company MotionMobsm which partnered with UAB and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) for the initiative.
“When a self-reported and lab-verified positive COVID-19 test occurs, ADPH enables notification of all phones through a random code matching process using the last 14 days of data,” UAB adds.
Funding for the app was made possible by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, who allotted some of the money Alabama received as part of the federal government’s CARES Act for the project.
GuideSafe was piloted among all of Alabama’s returning college students in recent weeks before premiering statewide on Monday.
“This tool will arm us with the power to inform ourselves and those around us of potential exposure to COVID-19 safely and securely, which will be powerful as we move forward in combatting the virus,” said Dr. Karen Landers, district medical officer for ADPH.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
