- By Anton Grillo
- (General Dispatch) – The media outlet The Hague AP reported that the Dutch government will suspend the app “CoronaMelder” due to possible security issues.
- The Dutch authorities warned that the APP on the android operating system may have an ineffective security level, making users’ data not fully secure.
- For this reason it will be suspended for 48 hours, and users will not receive any notifications on their mobile device, while the government investigates and fixes the problem.
- The APP uses “exposure notification” technology to detect, evaluate and decide who has been exposed to covid19 and thus prevent the spread.
- However, by not having adequate security if a user is infected and stays close to other users, such information can be transmitted not only exclusively to the government if not, information can be leaked to other users.
- “User privacy is always a priority. While Google must solve the problem, it can limit the consequences. That is why we are taking this decision,“ said Health Minister De Jonge in a statement.
- Although the tech giant Google had informed the ministry that the problem had been resolved, De Jonge still said he preferred to be sure the app was secure enough to be reactivated.
- The associated press reported that Google has “implemented a fix for an issue in which the random Bluetooth identifiers used by the exposure notification framework in Android were temporarily accessible to a limited number of pre-installed apps.”
Adittional Information:
Breitbart: Dutch Government Suspends Coronavirus App Over Data Leak Fears
Wtop: Dutch government pauses coronavirus app over data leak fears
