Swiss pull out of European contact tracing App project
The race is on to develop contact tracing Apps that can help fight coronavirus and prevent further outbreaks.
Keystone
Two Swiss technology institutes have distanced themselves from a European anti-coronavirus tracing App project, saying it is not respectful enough of personal privacy.
The Federal Technology Institute Lausanne (EPFL) and the ETH Zurich have been participating in the “Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing” project (PEPP-PT), which involves 130 organizations from eight countries. But on Friday leading EPFL epidemiologist Marcel Salathé tweeted that he was personally distancing himself from it, saying that “right now, PEPP-PT is not open enough, and it is not transparent enough”.
EPFL president Martin Vetterli confirmed on Swiss television RTSExternal link that his institution was looking for another solution. On Friday evening the website heidi.news reportedExternal link that ETH Zurich was also pulling out.
PEPP-PT is one of several projects being developed around the world to fight coronavirus through smartphones. The idea is to develop an App allowing smartphones to communicate anonymously with each other using Bluetooth technology. If a person tests positive for coronavirus, all the people with whom that person was in contact in previous days could be alerted so as to isolate themselves and get tested.
EPFL and ETH Zurich are now putting their energies into another system called DP-3TExternal link. This is being developed by a team of 26 European researchers led by professor Carmela Troncoso at EPFL. The main difference with PEPP-PT is that data is to be stored decentrally in telephones rather than centrally, which is seen as a better guarantee of personal privacy.
More
Opinion
More
Covid-19 tracking: Knowing where you are without knowing who you are
This content was published on
Many governments in western democracies wish to use our mobile phones to track social-distancing compliance during the coronavirus pandemic.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
WMO climate report: warmest year and record rainfall in Europe in 2024
This content was published on
Europe faced a stark east-west climate divide last year: compared to the long-term average, it was too wet in the west and too dry in the east, a new report shows.
Trump tariffs: 95% of Swiss SMEs don’t plan to move to US
This content was published on
According to a survey, 95% of small and medium-sized industrial companies (SMEs) in Switzerland are not planning to relocate to the United States in the near future.
Swiss franc weakens slightly amid tariff uncertainty
This content was published on
The Swiss franc fell slightly against the euro and US dollar on Monday. Meanwhile, stocks rallied in Europe, Asia and the US.
This content was published on
Shopping around the clock, even on Sundays and public holidays: retailer Migros is planning Switzerland's first Migros supermarket with continuous opening hours in Herisau.
More and more unexploded army ordnance found in Swiss hiking regions
This content was published on
More and more unexploded ordnance is being defused in Switzerland. Thanks to over a thousand tips from the public, the army neutralised 273 such munitions last year, 26% more than the long-term average.
World Expo: Swiss present robot-controlled wedding cake with edible battery
This content was published on
Confectioners and scientists from Switzerland and Italy and have created a robot-controlled, edible wedding cake, "RoboCake".
This content was published on
The traditional Olma pig race is not a sporting event and may therefore not be authorised by the city of St Gallen under the title of sports betting, says the intercantonal gambling watchdog.
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed charges against a 21-year-old Swiss national with the Federal Criminal Court for a planned jihad trip.
What is considered enough when it comes to coronavirus testing?
This content was published on
In this second collection of answers to readers’ questions, we explore who can get tested, and whether an optimal testing rate exists.
Bouncing back from a coronavirus infection, a Swiss testimony
This content was published on
With the number of fatalities caused by the coronavirus rising exponentially, it is easy to overlook the number of people who have recovered.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.