Covid-19 smart wearable using privacy enhancing technologies popped up in my LinkedIn feed just today…. I was sceptical until I started reading the academic paper for the Whisper Tracing protocol used by the product.
This is a product which is not installed on a smart device, it is something you clip to your shirt (or whatever) and warns you if you are too close to another individual. It does not link the wearer of the wearable with an identity. The data is collected centrally, but deleted after a short time.
What is good about this product is that with covid-19 the most vulnerable group apart from those with underlying illnesses are the elderly, but it is mainly this group that do not own a smart phone, if they do probably do not use it optimally, which means they are excluded.
This is great for the workplace. I know when I’m out that I’m rubbish at this social distancing. I live on an island, at least thats my excuse, I work mainly from home, or it’s just I get so focused on what I need to do that I don’t notice people around me. I really could do with a clip-on which beeps when I get too close to others.
It is a startup Nodle which produced this wearable. It will be interesting to read more on this -when I have time- and see where this wearable ends up.