The federal government-backed exposure notification smartphone app has launched, marking the beginning of a new frontier in the coronavirus fight: alerting participating Canadians when they come in proximity to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The app — called COVID Alert and available on Android or Apple devices — will compile anonymized data and use reports from confirmed positive COVID-19 cases to notify Canadians when they’ve been in proximity to someone who has the virus. It has received the stamp of approval from federal and provincial privacy watchdogs, though it leaves infection contact tracing up to public health officials.
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