Analysts find privacy vulnerabilities in North Dakota contact tracing app

In an analysis, the smartphone privacy company Jumbo Privacy finds that Care19, North Dakota's official COVID-19 contact tracing app, sends latitude and longitude data and a unique user advertising identifier to Foursquare and other data to Google servers and the bug-tracking Bugfender. The app's privacy policy does not disclose this third-party sharing. The app development company, ProudCrowd, said it would update the privacy policy and that the data-sharing agreement does not allow Foursquare to collect or use the Care19 data beyond returning the names of nearby businesses. North Dakota officials say future versions of the app will incorporate Apple-Google's new Exposure Notification API.

Writer: Steven Melendez
Publication: Fast Company