To aid in Covid-19 contact tracing, SGUnited, GovTech and the Ministry of Health rolled out an app, TraceTogether, earlier on in March. Using Bluetooth to identify other phones nearby, the app tracks when you are in close proximity with other people along with timestamps of the encounter. This information helps when those infected with Covid-19 cannot recall where they've been or who they came into contact with, and it also alerts other users when they've been potentially exposed to the virus.
Concerns for individual privacy and data security aside for now, it seems that the app has run into some road bumps and doesn't work the same across all smartphones, which has hindered it from being made compulsory.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said that unlike devices that run on the Android operating system, Apple devices suspend real-time Bluetooth scanning when the app is running in the background.
"We have had repeated discussions at both the technical and policy level with Apple, but we have not yet been able to find a satisfactory solution," he said.
There is also the problem of the lack of users.
Only 1.5 million users have downloaded the app since its launch in March, which makes up only a quarter of our total population. In order for a contact tracing app to work well and meet its potential, downloads would have to reach the optimum of 75% of the general population.
The proposed alternative? A wearable device.
Currently in the development phase, the wearable device will not require users to own a smartphone. It might be good news for those who aren't exactly tech savvy, and also individuals who are living in the more vulnerable communities.
Dr Balakrishnan revealed that the device can be used on a lanyard or put in a handbag so it's out of the way when users don't need it.
Although further details of the device itself and the date of rollout haven't been released yet, it seems to have drawn flak from some citizens, who see the development as an infringement upon rights to privacy, personal space, and freedom of movement. For some, the wearable device is viewed as a way for the Government to surveil the population with impunity and maintain a form of movement monitoring at all times and places.
Soon after the news was released, a petition was created online rejecting the wearable device.
What do you think about the development and potential implementation of the device? Is it for the greater good, or is it an infringement upon personal privacy?