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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Will you be downloading the NHS or any of the other "contract tracing" apps?

88 replies

Minecrafting · 07/05/2020 11:33

YANBU - Yes I will be downloading one of the contract tracing apps.
YABU - No I will not be downloading one of the contract tracing apps.

OP posts:
MitziK · 07/05/2020 12:52

No - because it will be absolutely useless.

I work in a school. I caught something that the NHS says was Covid-19 in March from having close contact with multiple sick teenagers. A large number of other staff were also ill with something over the last couple of weeks.

The reason why the app would be pointless is that the certain vectors of infection - sick teenagers - do not have their phones switched on in school. Staff are also not allowed to have their phones with them. The best part of 2000 people in a smallish space for up to ten hours a day, and not a single Bluetooth handshake between them.

When I worked in the NHS, we weren't allowed our phones with us.

When I worked in a callcentre, we weren't allowed our phones.

When I worked on a supermarket checkout, we weren't allowed our phones.

DP isn't allowed his phone at work. 300 clients a day pass through his workplace, all spending at least an hour there in close contact with the staff.

Apart from grumbling about how shit women's and girls' clothes are that you don't have pockets to hide your phone in, apart from grumbling that all it would take is for one kid to report they had symptoms to scare a teacher/get out of detention/avoid homework being collected, the app doesn't allow for the vast numbers of contacts that aren't able to use phones.

The apps simply won't work for contact tracing. Great for information gathering on adults' movements and behaviour, but useless for the declared purpose that it's been sold to the government. If it was a compulsory push app to all phones, it would probably end up, as Oyster cards did, handy for providing evidence of where somebody goes and who they met up with for criminal prosecutions.

But actually providing an accurate picture of disease spread? No chance.

SerendipityJane · 07/05/2020 15:19

A big random number

May as well have said "bigly" and be done with it.

Buzzfrightyears · 07/05/2020 15:20

Yes I will be. I have nothing interesting that they’d be interested in, and if it helps the situation, I think anyone would be mad not to!

OpthalmosVerde · 07/05/2020 15:41

Listening to I think world at 1 earlier (was driving so didn’t catch it all) people in the IoW pilot were instructed to ‘turn their phone off’ whilst at work. I guess to avoid overdoing the connections the app makes? So then what’s the point anyway? Work is where you’re most likely to catch it surely.

Just all seems fairly pointless at this point in time. Would have been great earlier on. But it’s everywhere now.

NoMorePoliticsPlease · 07/05/2020 15:47

It isnt a surveillance app. On the other hand Facebook Google all the social medai apps most definitely are,most of you have handed over your lifes data icluding Facial recognition to Russian company if you did the aging image one. This app holds the ifo on the phone it is blurtooth. Doesnt even use GPS location like Google does!

LilacTree1 · 07/05/2020 15:52

Why would people be to,do to switch it off at work?

ProfessorSlocombe · 07/05/2020 16:13

Why would people be to,do to switch it off at work?

Many workplaces don't allow phones on the floor for a start. (Anywhere that could have personal data on a screen should really have a policy of phones in lockers).

So to avoid having the added complication of trying to work out whether a phone was stationary from choice or policy, it was decided to advise all users to disable it at work ?

Just guessing really, since there's no official answer.

LilacTree1 · 07/05/2020 16:14

Professor I thought from that post the app makers were asking people to switch it off at work

of course I know people aren't allowed phones at work in many jobs.

the poster said "people in the IoW pilot were instructed to ‘turn their phone off’ whilst at work"

MonkeyToesOfDoom · 07/05/2020 16:16

Id trust an app made by Facebook before one that's made by or has close links to our Tory government.

Springersrock · 07/05/2020 16:21

On the app it says for healthcare workers to turn off Bluetooth while at work but not the rest of us

ProfessorSlocombe · 07/05/2020 16:23

Professor I thought from that post the app makers were asking people to switch it off at work

And I explained one possible reason. To ensure all data returned is to a common baseline.

If some people can carry their phone at work, and some can't, then the data might be of less value, as it's not directly comparable.

At the end of the day, if you have to ask the question here, rather than ferret the answer out of the people supplying the app, then why is it my fault ?

CruCru · 07/05/2020 16:25

I’m in the IoW and downloaded it today. To be honest, we’re not going anywhere or meeting anyone so it’s not likely to be doing very much (in relation to us) for a while.

MissEliza · 07/05/2020 16:26

YANBU it's the right thing to do.

LilacTree1 · 07/05/2020 16:26

Professor I don't understand any of that.

I apologise if I have offended you.

Tootletum · 07/05/2020 16:30

I find it hilarious that people are happy for a company based in California whose only motive is profiting from your data (unless you haven't noticed that your location settings and visits influence the ads you get) to have your data, but if it's the UK government that has adopted GDPR then it's terribly nefarious. Ok, whatever.

ProfessorSlocombe · 07/05/2020 16:32

If you knew how old and ugly I am, you'd know why I am unoffendable.

I was just noting that if anybody has questions about the app then it would be a fault of whoever is supplying the app, not random posters on the internet. And if the makers of the app have decided we don't need to know why it's advised to disable it (I am guess that's their meaning of "switch it off") when at work, then we just have to accept it.

Inniu · 07/05/2020 16:38

I am in Ireland and will download the Irish government app. It is decentralised and works when the phone is locked.
I am hoping Northern Ireland adopts the Irish one rather than the U.K. one because the Irish one works better,’z

SD1978 · 07/05/2020 16:44

I have, and have no issue with it currently- although the notifications are annoying (health care worker) I opened my life to google, Facebook and Alexa. The government can have my Bluetooth.

JudyGemstone · 07/05/2020 16:45

I won't be. Am waiting for test results to come back now as my partner has it, if positive then after the recommended period of self isolation I won't be able to get it or pass it on.

If it's negative then seeing as I've been eating his cooking and having sex with him every day for weeks in pretty sure I'm immune!

Either way no thanks.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 07/05/2020 16:49

I wouldn't download it for basic privacy reasons alone, but how reliable will it really be?

If a symptom of the virus was a big suddenly-appearing bruise on your arm that clearly said "You have Coronavirus" and nobody would ever lie for fun or bad/criminal intent, or just be confused or over-anxious, it could work.

As it is, most of the symptoms are quite generic ones for lots of mild health conditions, so what good can it really do you if somebody reports that they have a cough and came quite near to you?

EdwynCollins · 07/05/2020 16:53

No, not because I disagree in theory, because I am sick of Tory corruption and their donors and cronies making money off us. Our political system stinks.

Everytimeref · 07/05/2020 16:58

@EdwynCollins. Totally agree. I won't down load it either.

Topseyt · 07/05/2020 17:05

I'm reluctant. I think it sounds useless.

In all likelihood, no!

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 07/05/2020 17:09

I will. I'm really a very boring person and I'm pretty sure it wont give them anything more on me than they already have. Though my friend had me crying with laughter last night over this. "I'm not giving the government my address and I dont want my phone tracking where I go."

I just cracked up, I couldn't help it. She uses Google maps as a satnav all the time. And votes! They already know your address you daft cow! 😂

SerendipityJane · 07/05/2020 17:21

@EdwynCollins

applause !!!