TraceTogether

Last updated

TraceTogether
Developer(s) Government Technology Agency
Stable release
2.14.2 / 31 May 2022
Repository
Written in
  • Kotlin (Android)
  • Swift (iOS)
Operating system Android, iOS
Available inBengali, Burmese, Chinese, English, Hindi, Malay, Tamil, Thai
Type Digital contact tracing
COVID-19 apps
Licence GPL-3.0
Website www.tracetogether.gov.sg (Obsolete from 10 January 2024)

TraceTogether was a digital system implemented by the Government of Singapore to facilitate contact tracing efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. The main goal was a quick identification of persons who may have come into close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The system helps in identifying contacts such as strangers encountered in public one would not otherwise be able to identify or remember. Together with SafeEntry, it allows the identification of specific locations where a spread between close contacts may occur.

Contents

Released on 20 March 2020, the system initially consisted only of an app by the same name. [1] However, this was later supplemented by a physical token mainly intended for elderly and children who may not own a smartphone, or those who prefer not to use the app. The app was the first main COVID-19 tracking app released in the world and its development encouraged the development of similar apps in other countries. [2]

The app has raised significant concerns about the privacy of those who use the app, especially due to a lack of decentralised report processing and access to the data by police. However, the app states it has several features to ensure users' privacy, such as regularly rotating users' IDs and storing limited data. Despite the concerns over privacy, the app was slowly adopted by the population of the Singapore, eventually reaching a 92% adoption rate in May 2021. [3] The app was now mandated for specific groups of people and those attempting to enter certain venues and events.

On 9 February 2023, the system was deactivated after the authorities determined that the system was no longer required and closed down on 10 January 2024.

TraceTogether app

Technology

The app utilises a custom protocol, BlueTrace, which allows for a distributed approach whereby participating devices exchange proximity information whenever an app detects another device with the TraceTogether app installed. [4] [5] [6] The protocol, and reference app implementations of it, were also open sourced as BlueTrace and OpenTrace respectively. [7] [8]

Initial versions of the app required users to register using only their mobile number, [9] since 7 April 2020, it requires users' NRIC or passport numbers, and added support for SafeEntry. [10] [11] The website states that the NRIC number was required in order to allow MOH to reach the right person when they need to give important health advice on COVID-19, and was stored in a secure server, never accessed unless needed for contact tracing, and never shared with other app users. [12] [13] [14] The main goal of SafeEntry helps COVID-19 cases remember the places that they've visited. This helps MOH to identify potential infection clusters and perform cluster COVID-19 testing. [15]

Following installation, the user is requested to grant relevant permissions such as Bluetooth. [16] Android users are additionally required to grant Location permission as Bluetooth can be used to derive location information when combined with beacons in fixed locations. [17]

To trace users the Ministry of Health (MOH) issues time sensitive anonymous temporary IDs that are used to identify the patient to all third parties. When two users of the app pass by, it uses the Bluetooth Relative Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) readings between devices across time to approximate the proximity and duration of an encounter between two users. This proximity and duration information is stored on one's phone for 25 days on a rolling basis. [4] Once a user tests positive for infection, the MOH works with them to map out their activity for past 14 days and requests the contact log. To facilitate the conduct of contact tracing measure to prevent further outbreak of any infectious disease, the user cannot withhold their contact information log under the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137). [18]

The usage of the app had been limited by the technical limitations of needing to have the application to run in the foreground on iOS devices, and battery drain, [19] but these problems had been reportedly addressed in the 2.1 version of the app released on 3 July 2020, and version 2.1.3 of 5 Aug added informational, work pass and SafeEntry QR features. [20]

Release timeline

The app was released on 20 March 2020, following 8 weeks of development by Singapore's Government Technology Agency in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH). [1]

On 10 April 2020, following the lifting of the embargo on the Google-Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) system, the developers announced that they had been working with Apple and Google on specifications which would allow for cross-border inter-operability, and had begun to incorporate these new APIs into TraceTogether. [21] [22] [23] The developers envisaged this as a way to overcome the app's inability to access full background Bluetooth scanning functionality on iOS devices (which led to the app being active only when it ran in the foreground), and increase the pool of interoperable devices, both of which could have increased the contact tracing utility. [21]

On 5 June 2020, the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan acknowledged in Parliament the inability of the TraceTogether app to work well particularly on iOS or Apple devices, and that these had not been overcome despite discussions at the technical and policy level with Apple. [24] He subsequently explained that the Government had decided against using the Google-Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) system, citing its inability to "identify how, when and whom the person was infected by or passed the infection to" and "the 'graph' not being available to the contact tracers". [10] [23] [25] Instead, a new portable, wearable device, called the TraceTogether Token would be issued to all 5.7 million residents in order to increase the pool of participants. [23] [26]

On 7 December 2020, market research firm Gartner crowned TraceTogether as the Asia-Pacific winner for its 2020 Government Eye on Innovation award, after the firm had conducted a poll among various government organisations around the world. [27] [28] [29] [30]

With the discontinuation of the system, the app has been removed from all official mobile app stores. [31]

Uptake

During the release of the app, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, a co-chair of the multi-ministry Covid task force, explained that for TraceTogether to be effective, at least three-quarters – if not everyone – of the population had to install it, and had to turn on their Bluetooth function to ensure the app was running. [9]

On 10 April 2020, approximately 3 weeks after its release, about one million people had downloaded the app, which translated to about one in six of the resident population at the time. [32] This percentage increased to 17% of the population in May 2020. [33]

On 5 June 2020, the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative announced in Parliament that the TraceTogether has been downloaded on a voluntary basis by 1.5 million users, which worked out to only 25 per cent of the population. [24]

By 4 September 2020, about 2.4 million users had downloaded the app, with 1.4 million active users in August. [34]

As of 14 December 2020, following the release of the token, adoption rate of the app and token combined exceeded 60% of Singapore's resident population. [35] Despite falling short of the 70% adoption target that the Government had set loosen restrictions, [35] the Government later announced on the same day the loosening of restrictions to start from 28 December 2020. [36] On 23 December 2020, Balakrishnan revealed that the adoption rate had exceeded 70%. [37]

On 11 May 2021, Balakrishnan revealed that the adoption rate had exceeded 92%, with 4,923,054 individuals aged above six. [3] On 19 January 2022, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office indicated that "almost all of Singapore's population above the age of six" are using the system. [38] There were about 3,000 users, or 0.056% of the registered users, who deregistered for reasons such as expats leaving the country, people who have died, or people opting out over data security reasons. [38]

Effectiveness

With TraceTogether complementing manual contact tracing effort, [39] the contact tracing teams has improved their efficiency by reducing the time taken to identify and quarantine a close contact from four days to less than two days. [35] More than 10% of close contacts identified by TraceTogether turned positive during quarantine period, [40] the percentage may be low due to Singapore mandating mask-wearing since 14 April 2020. [41] It was reported on 22 April 2021 that TraceTogether system had identified at least 75 persons who had to be placed under quarantine, but would likely not have been picked up through a manual contact tracing process. [42]

TraceTogether Token

A TraceTogether token Tracetogether Token 20210907 091956.jpg
A TraceTogether token

On 7 June 2020, Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan announced that the government would be distributing a physical device, named TraceTogether Token, to augment the app. [26] The TraceTogether Token is designed primarily to support Singapore residents who do not own a smartphone, mainly some elderly, children aged seven and above [43] or residents with workplace restriction. The physical token helps to increase the optimal number of users required for the contact tracing system to work well, which was 75% of the population. [26] With the issuance of the device, the government aimed to achieve at least 70% of the population using either the TraceTogether Token or app. [44]

Upon the announcement of the physical device, there was a public backlash against the physical device initiative, with a petition launched to protest against the development of the device over concerns about potential privacy issues. [45] The Singapore People's Party also released a statement regarding the privacy concerns and about the potential abuse of the data. [46]

Similar to the app, the TraceTogether Token utilises BlueTooth to exchange signals with other TraceTogether Tokens or the mobile app. After encrypting the data of what devices or apps are near by, the device stores up to 25 days of information before deletion. [44] The device is designed for those who have no smartphone, which consisted of about 5% of the population. It is designed to be waterproof and its battery life is about six months. There are no physical buttons on the device, and it has a green/red light indicator for battery life and/or to indicate a fault. [44] The device does not have GPS functionality, and access to the data remains restricted among the civil service. [46]

A TraceTogether token vending machine at Kitchener Complex TraceTogether vending machine at Kitchener Complex.jpg
A TraceTogether token vending machine at Kitchener Complex

The physical device was made available for collection from 14 September 2020. [47] [48] [49]

A 26 October 2020 report indicated that there was a higher than expected demand after the news of mandatory usage of TraceTogether was released. [50] Authorities also did not expect that residents would travel to different distribution points island-wide to collect the tokens [51] and had suspended collection for a day on 28 October 2020 to rework the distribution strategy. [52] The collection of the token at the community centres could only be made by residents in the respective constituencies, and distribution was done on a rolling basis at the constituency level, [52] [53] [54] with the last remaining community centres reopened for collection only on 23 December 2020. [55] A Straits Times editor, Irene Tham advocated on 30 October 2020 for the tokens to be distributed first and mandate the usage later. [56] Tham also suggested a similar queue system to that of telcos registering customers and assigning time slots could be adopted to avoid overcrowding at the collection points as it was noted that a crowd formed and lasted for a couple of hours at Marsiling Community Centre for a couple of hours even after that distribution strategy was reworked. [56]

The distribution strategy would subsequently be changed from manned counter operations to token dispensing vending machines from 31 August 2021 onwards. [57]

Mandatory usage of TraceTogether

An automatic self-check-in station at Paya Lebar Square requiring the use of TraceTogether Automate SafeEntry Self Check-in gates at Paya Lebar Square.jpg
An automatic self-check-in station at Paya Lebar Square requiring the use of TraceTogether

Downloading, installing, registering the TraceTogether app and scanning in/out using the TraceTogether-only SafeEntry (TT-only SE) has been made mandatory for all Singaporeans and at all places such as cinemas, restaurants, workplaces, schools and shopping malls for contact tracing purposes. This includes the device called SafeEntry Gateway (Check in and check out) to enable users to scan in and out. In addition, TraceTogether also shows vaccination status and pre-event testing (PET) status whether the person test positive or negative for COVID-19. [58] [59] [60] [61] [62]

All other methods of checking in through SafeEntry such as either the phone camera, NRIC or Singpass app are all removed since the second lockdown on 17 May 2021. [62]

Use by commercial organisations to deny access

In early May 2021, some businesses including ComfortDelGro Driving Centre, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Dream Cruises were reported to have denied entry to students and passengers whose TraceTogether app displayed "possible exposure", despite the Ministry of Health (MOH) affirming that such persons were at low risk and not restricted from continuing with their regular activities. [63] This was effected by requiring customers to show the ‘Covid Health Status’ section of the app or the ‘history’ tab, despite the app data being originally intended only for personal reference. [64] The Singapore Tourism Board subsequently issued a statement that "cruise lines should adhere to the guidance from the MOH and the SNDGO regarding the use of data from the TraceTogether app", while the cruise companies reversed or changed the ban to an advisory "encouraging" affected passengers to postpone their sailing dates. [64]

Scale back and deactivation

With the easing of the Covid Omicron wave, the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition was lowered from orange state to yellow state on 26 April 2022. [65] Additionally, the usage of TraceTogether system would be limited to large events with 500 participants, food and beverages outlets, and nightlife entertainment establishments with dancing facilities. [66]

The distribution of the tokens was scaled back from 1 July 2022 as the demand for the token fell. [67] On 9 February 2023, authorities announced that the system was no longer required. [68] The public was encouraged to return the tokens at the community centres in a month-long exercise from 13 February 2023. The TraceTogether app (as well as SafeEntry app) could be uninstalled from handphones as well. Authorities had also announced that the data collected through the system was deleted from their servers. [69]

Privacy

The BlueTrace protocol is designed to preserve the privacy of users, [70] but in contrast to other implementations, the TraceTogether app is not anonymous as participants have to register using their phone number and national registration number or other evidence of residency.

To safeguard participant's mutual privacy and ensuring their control over the data, TraceTogether states that it: [71]

The main privacy concern relating to the BlueTrace protocol is due to the use of centralised report processing, in which a user must upload their entire contact log to a health authority administered server. This is in contradistinction to decentralised report processing protocols such as the Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (DP-3T) protocol.[ citation needed ]

In Parliament on 2 February 2021, it was revealed that the police could request the data after 25 days under certain unspecified exceptions. [74] [75]

Controversy over police access

Access under the Criminal Procedure Code

On 4 January 2021, Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan revealed in Parliament that TraceTogether data could be accessed by the police for criminal investigations under the Criminal Procedure Code, which contradicted previous assurances by Minister Balakrishnan and others that the data would be used only for contact tracing. [76] [77] [78] This disclosure followed investigations triggered by an inquiry from a member of the public in October 2020, and the filing of a parliamentary question by MP Christopher de Souza in early December 2020, with the 3-month delay attributed to deliberations over the possibility of excluding TraceTogether data from the Criminal Procedure Code. [79] [80]

Access during the May 2020 murder investigation

On 5 January 2021, Minister Balakrishnan updated Parliament that the police had to the best of his knowledge by that point in time accessed contact tracing data once in the case of a murder investigation. [81] [82] Following questions from Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai, Minister Desmond Tan explained in Parliament on 2 February 2021 that this had happened in May 2020 during the course of the Punggol Field murder investigation, where the police tried to but failed to obtain the TraceTogether data from the suspect Surajsrikan Diwakar Mani Tripathi, who did not install the app in his phone. [83] In the aftermath, Surajsrikan was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with 15 strokes of the cane on 15 September 2022. [84]

Reactions

There was significant backlash to the announcement, despite Balakrishnan's explanation and acceptance of full responsibility. [76] [77] [79] [74] Some observers attributed this to the fact that the clarification was made 9 months after the data had already been used, and only in response to direct and repeated parliamentary questioning. [80] Privacy concerns were raised by various experts with former Nominated Member of Parliament and Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan saying that "the news came across as the Government backtracking on its earlier assurance that TraceTogether would only be used for contact tracing" and "clearly undermines their trust and credibility, and could undermine its future efforts .... to keep COVID-19 under control". [85]

Following the announcement, some users deleted the app or left the token at home, while others disabled their phone's Bluetooth or selected the “Pause Tracking” function after checking in. [86] In the month of the disclosure (January 2021), 350 people requested that their contact tracing data be erased from the government's servers, [87] with the number increasing to more than 1,100 by April. [3]

The original TraceTogether privacy statement [88] [lower-alpha 1] was updated on 4 January 2021 to include possible access by police officers for investigations. [76]

Various officials provided reassurances. Balakrishnan explained that this situation was not unique to TraceTogether and that under the same law, other forms of sensitive data like phone or banking records could also have their privacy regulations overruled. [89] Desmond Tan emphasised that access to TraceTogether data remained restricted without authorisation. [76] This point was reiterated by K Shanmugam, who said that the police will restrict the use of TraceTogether to "very serious offences" like murder and terrorism, only after careful consideration and discretion. [90] In addition, Balakrishnan said that TraceTogether programme will be stood down once the COVID-19 pandemic ends, with epidemiological data given to MOH that does not identify users. [91]

The backlash prompted the Government to introduce the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment) Bill on 2 February 2021 formalising the assurances to restrict police access to investigate for seven categories of offences. [79] [92] Additionally, only senior police officers with the rank of inspector and above can request for data in the TraceTogether system, similarly to existing data requests requirements for bank data from financial institutions. [92] The Bill was debated among the Members of Parliament from People's Action Party, Workers' Party (WP), and Progress Singapore Party (PSP), with members from opposition WP preferring not to use the data but support a bill to restrict, and PSP opposing the use of data. [92] The Bill was passed by the end of the session. [92]

Singapore's reversal of initial promises regarding police access to TraceTogether data was cited as one of the reasons for resistance to the Hong Kong's COVID-19 contact-tracing application, LeaveHomeSafe. [93] [94]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Refer to archived version of original privacy statement

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Balakrishnan</span> Singaporean politician

Vivian Balakrishnan is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Cashew division of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC since 2006, and previously the Ulu Pandan division of Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC between 2001 and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Singapore

The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case in Singapore was confirmed on 23 January 2020. Early cases were primarily imported until local transmission began to develop in February and March. In late March and April, COVID-19 clusters were detected at multiple migrant worker dormitories, which soon contributed to an overwhelming proportion of new cases in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 apps</span> Mobile apps designed to aid contact tracing

COVID-19 apps include mobile-software applications for digital contact-tracing - i.e. the process of identifying persons ("contacts") who may have been in contact with an infected individual - deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlueTrace</span> COVID-19 contact tracing software

BlueTrace is an open-source application protocol that facilitates digital contact tracing of users to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially developed by the Singaporean Government, BlueTrace powers the contact tracing for the TraceTogether app. Australia and the United Arab Emirates have already adopted the protocol in their gov apps, and other countries were considering BlueTrace for adoption. A principle of the protocol is the preservation of privacy and health authority co-operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exposure Notification</span> Initiative for mobile device-based privacy-preserving contact tracing

The (Google/Apple) Exposure Notification System (GAEN) is a framework and protocol specification developed by Apple Inc. and Google to facilitate digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. When used by health authorities, it augments more traditional contact tracing techniques by automatically logging close approaches among notification system users using Android or iOS smartphones. Exposure Notification is a decentralized reporting protocol built on a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy technology and privacy-preserving cryptography. It is an opt-in feature within COVID-19 apps developed and published by authorized health authorities. Unveiled on April 10, 2020, it was made available on iOS on May 20, 2020 as part of the iOS 13.5 update and on December 14, 2020 as part of the iOS 12.5 update for older iPhones. On Android, it was added to devices via a Google Play Services update, supporting all versions since Android Marshmallow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVIDSafe</span> Contact tracing app by the Australian Department of Health

COVIDSafe was a digital contact tracing app released by the Australian Government on 26 April 2020 to help combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The app was intended to augment traditional contact tracing by automatically tracking encounters between users and later allowing a state or territory health authority to warn a user they have come within 1.5 metres with an infected person for 15 minutes or more. To achieve this, it used the BlueTrace and Herald protocol, originally developed by the Singaporean Government and VMWare respectively, to passively collect an anonymised registry of near contacts. The efficacy of the app was questioned over its lifetime, ultimately identifying just 2 confirmed cases by the time it was decommissioned on 16 August 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TCN Protocol</span> Proximity contact tracing protocol

The Temporary Contact Numbers Protocol, or TCN Protocol, is an open source, decentralized, anonymous exposure alert protocol developed by Covid Watch in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covid Watch team, started as an independent research collaboration between Stanford University and the University of Waterloo was the first in the world to publish a white paper, develop, and open source fully anonymous Bluetooth exposure alert technology in collaboration with CoEpi after writing a blog post on the topic in early March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital contact tracing</span> Method of contact tracing using mobile devices

Digital contact tracing is a method of contact tracing relying on tracking systems, most often based on mobile devices, to determine contact between an infected patient and a user. It came to public prominence in the form of COVID-19 apps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the initial outbreak, many groups have developed nonstandard protocols designed to allow for wide-scale digital contact tracing, most notably BlueTrace and Exposure Notification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing</span> Proximity contact tracing protocol

Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing is an open protocol developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate digital contact tracing of infected participants. The protocol, like competing protocol Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT), uses Bluetooth Low Energy to track and log encounters with other users. The protocols differ in their reporting mechanism, with PEPP-PT requiring clients to upload contact logs to a central reporting server, whereas with DP-3T, the central reporting server never has access to contact logs nor is it responsible for processing and informing clients of contact. Because contact logs are never transmitted to third parties, it has major privacy benefits over the PEPP-PT approach; however, this comes at the cost of requiring more computing power on the client side to process infection reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHS COVID-19</span> UK contact tracing app for COVID-19

NHS COVID-19 was a voluntary contact tracing app for monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Wales. It had been available since 24 September 2020 for Android and iOS smartphones, and can be used by anyone aged 16 or over.

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Singapore circuit breaker measures</span> Preventative measure by the Government of Singapore to ease community spread of COVID-19

The 2020–21 Singapore circuit breaker measures were a stay-at-home order and cordon sanitaire implemented as a preventive measure by the Government of Singapore in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country on 7 April 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZ COVID Tracer</span> Mobile software application

NZ COVID Tracer is a mobile software application that enables a person to record places they have visited, in order to facilitate tracing who may have been in contact with a person infected with the COVID-19 virus. The app allows users to scan official QR codes at the premises of businesses and other organisations they visit, to create a digital diary. It was launched by New Zealand's Ministry of Health on 20 May 2020, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corona-Warn-App</span> German COVID-19 contact tracing app

Corona-Warn-App was the official and open-source COVID-19 contact tracing app used for digital contact tracing in Germany made by SAP and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID Alert</span> Canadian contact-tracing app for COVID-19

COVID Alert was the Exposure Notification service app for the country of Canada. It launched in the province of Ontario on July 31, 2020, and became available in nearly all Canadian provinces by October of that year, excluding Alberta, and British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID Tracker Ireland</span> Contact tracing application released by the Government of Ireland on 7 July 2020

COVID Tracker Ireland is a digital contact tracing app released by the Irish Government and the Health Service Executive on 7 July 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland. The app uses ENS and Bluetooth technology to determine whether a user have been a close contact of someone for more than 15 minutes who tested positive for COVID-19. On 8 July, the app reached one million registered users within 36 hours after its launch, representing more than 30% of the population of Ireland and over a quarter of all smartphone users in the country. As of August 2021, over 3,030,000 people have downloaded the app.

LeaveHomeSafe is a digital contact tracing app launched by the Hong Kong Government on 16 November 2020 to conduct contact tracing in Hong Kong. It can be used as a companion of the Hong Kong Health Code system for registered users.

SafeEntry was a national check-in system which enables the logging of visitors at various locations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, allowing health authorities to track and isolate confirmed clusters. It was used in tandem with TraceTogether, the national contact tracing platform in Singapore. The system was deactivated on 9 February 2023 after authorities determined there was no longer a need for the system.

StaySafe.ph or Stay Safe is a digital contact tracing app launched by the Philippine government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The mobile app was developed and published by MultiSys Technologies Corporation.

On 10 May 2020, 38-year-old assistant manager Tay Rui Hao was attacked by another person while he was jogging in the night along Punggol Field. Tay, who sustained multiple stab wounds, was able to call the ambulance, but he died at Sengkang General Hospital after reaching there. The police investigations led to the arrest of 20-year-old Surajsrikan Diwakar Mani Tripathi. Surajsrikan was charged with murder a week after killing Tay, and the motive of his crime was supposedly due to the negative emotions he harboured over his father abandoning his family 21 years before on the same date he killed Tay.

References

  1. 1 2 "Singapore launches TraceTogether mobile app to boost COVID-19 contact tracing efforts". channelnewsasia.com. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Levy, Benjamin; Stewart, Matthew (30 July 2021). "The Evolving Ecosystem of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications". Harvard Data Science Review. 3 (3). arXiv: 2103.10585 . doi:10.1162/99608f92.2660ce5a. S2CID   232290602. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Baharudin, Hariz (11 May 2021). "More than 1,100 users have deregistered from TraceTogether: Vivian". The Straits Times.
  4. 1 2 "How does TraceTogether work?". Government Technology Agency. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "BlueTrace Protocol". bluetrace.io. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Sharwood, Simon. "Singapore to open-source national Coronavirus encounter-tracing app and the Bluetooth research behind it". www.theregister.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Baharudin, Hariz (10 April 2020). "Coronavirus: S'pore contact tracing app now open-sourced, 1 in 5 here have downloaded". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Yu, Eileen. "Less than half in Singapore willing to share COVID-19 results with contact tracing tech". ZDNet. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. 1 2 Chong, Clara (1 April 2020). "Tough decisions painful but necessary to save lives, says Lawrence Wong". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Singapore Rules Out Apple, Google's Contact-Tracing System". Bloomberg News. 15 June 2020. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Yu, Eileen. "Singapore updates contact tracing app to include foreign visitors". ZDNet. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Why is NRIC needed?". TraceTogether FAQs. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "How do I use the SafeEntry barcode feature within the TraceTogether app?". TraceTogether FAQs. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "What is SafeEntry?". Team SafeEntry. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "How do TraceTogether and SafeEntry work together? Is SafeEntry still required since there is TraceTogether?". TraceTogether FAQs. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "How do I set up TraceTogether?". TraceTogether FAQs. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "Why does TraceTogether need Location Permission on Android?". TraceTogether FAQs. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "TraceTogether". support.tracetogether.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Singapore to launch TraceTogether Token device for COVID-19 contact tracing". MobiHealthNews. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  20. ↑ "TraceTogether". apps.apple.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  21. 1 2 Team TraceTogether (10 April 2020). "It Only Takes A Spark". Government of Singapore. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  22. ↑ Bay, Jason (April 2020). "One Month On". Medium. Gov Tech, Singapore. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 Baharudin, Hariz (15 June 2020). "Apple-Google contact tracing system not effective for Singapore: Vivian Balakrishnan". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Parliamentary Sitting on 5 June 2020". Smart Nation Singapore. Singapore Government. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  25. ↑ Giam, Gerald (14 June 2020). "Resolving the $100 million TraceTogether dilemma – geraldgiam.sg". Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  26. 1 2 3 Baharudin, Hariz (8 June 2020). "Contact-tracing device will not track location; people can use TraceTogether if they prefer, says Vivian Balakrishnan". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  27. ↑ "TraceTogether initiative wins global award for innovative use of tech". Techtelegraph. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  28. ↑ "TraceTogether programme wins international award for innovative use of tech". The Straits Times. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  29. ↑ "Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government 2020". gartner.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  30. ↑ "Gartner announces winners of the 2020 Government Eye on Innovation Award press release". gartner.com. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  31. ↑ Mujibah, Fatimah (5 February 2024). "TraceTogether, SafeEntry discontinued; personal contact tracing data relating to Covid-19 deleted". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  32. ↑ Chong, Clara (10 April 2020). "Coronavirus: S'pore contact tracing app now open-sourced, 1 in 5 here have downloaded". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "Only 17% of Singapore population downloaded TraceTogether app, experts urge to make it mandatory". The Online Citizen. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  34. ↑ "Low community prevalence of COVID-19, 0.03% of people with acute respiratory infection test positive: Gan Kim Yong". CNA. 4 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  35. 1 2 3 Chew, Hui Min (14 December 2020). "TraceTogether adoption up to more than 60% as privacy concerns wane; users still bothered about battery drain". CNA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  36. ↑ Lai, Linette (14 December 2020). "Singapore to enter phase 3 on Dec 28: Groups of 8 to be allowed for social gatherings". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  37. ↑ "70% of Singapore residents participating in TraceTogether programme: Vivian Balakrishnan". CNA. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  38. 1 2 Baharudin, Hariz (20 January 2022). "Nearly all in Singapore are on Covid-19 contact tracing programme TraceTogether | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  39. ↑ "TraceTogether – Community-driven Contact Tracing". Government Technology Agency. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  40. ↑ Lee, Yoolim (8 December 2020). "Singapore App Halves Contact-Tracing Time, Top Engineer Says". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  41. ↑ Ang, Hwee Min; Phua, Rachel (14 April 2020). "COVID-19: Compulsory to wear mask when leaving the house, says Lawrence Wong". CNA. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  42. ↑ Low, Zoey (22 April 2021). "TraceTogether-only SafeEntry required from Jun 1 at all higher-risk venues". CNA. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  43. ↑ "Compulsory TraceTogether check-in from end December 2020". The Straits Times. 21 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  44. 1 2 3 "Explainer: How the TraceTogether token works, where to collect it". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  45. ↑ hermes (13 June 2020). "Getting buy-in for TraceTogether device and future Smart Nation initiatives". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  46. 1 2 "New TraceTogether token to have no GPS or internet connectivity to track user's whereabouts: Vivian Balakrishnan". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  47. ↑ hermesauto (8 June 2020). "Covid-19 contact tracing device will not be an electronic tag, to be rolled out in June". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  48. ↑ "TraceTogether tokens to be distributed free to all S'pore residents from Sept 14". The Straits Times. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  49. ↑ "How to collect your free TraceTogether token: 5 things to know about the device". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  50. ↑ "'High demand' for TraceTogether tokens at collection centres, S'poreans advised not to rush to collect". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  51. ↑ Wong, Lester (5 November 2020). "Demand for TraceTogether tokens higher than expected". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  52. 1 2 "TraceTogether token collection suspended for a day, to be distributed one constituency at a time from Oct 29". CNA. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  53. ↑ "TraceTogether Tokens to be distributed at the constituency level". Smart Nation Singapore. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  54. ↑ "TraceTogether Token collection at community centres to be restricted to residents within the constituency only". Smart Nation Singapore. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  55. ↑ "TraceTogether Adoption Surpasses 70% CCs to Re-open For Token Collection Progressively". Smart Nation Singapore. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  56. 1 2 Tham, Irene (30 October 2020). "Distribute TraceTogether tokens first, mandate its use at venues later". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  57. ↑ "TraceTogether token vending machines to gradually replace physical booths; home delivery service launched for first-time users". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  58. ↑ "COVID-19: New app launched to help monitor and report migrant workers' health status". CNA. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  59. ↑ Wong, Lester (16 June 2020). "All foreign workers have to download and activate TraceTogether app by June 19: MOM". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  60. ↑ "Use of TraceTogether app or token to be made compulsory for people attending large events, high-risk activities". TODAYonline. 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  61. ↑ Wong, Lester (20 October 2020). "TraceTogether check-ins to be compulsory at public venues in S'pore by end-December". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  62. 1 2 "Mandatory TraceTogether-only SafeEntry brought forward to May 17". CNA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  63. ↑ Chong, Charlotte (6 May 2021). "Students of driving school turned away as TraceTogether records show close proximity to Covid-19 cases". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  64. 1 2 Chong, Charlotte (7 May 2021). "TraceTogether data should not be used to grant or deny access to premises, say authorities". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  65. ↑ "COVID: No more group-size limits, safe distancing in Singapore, as DORSCON level lowered to yellow". sg.news.yahoo.com. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  66. ↑ Tan, Adeline (22 April 2022). "TraceTogether no longer required in most settings from April 26 | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  67. ↑ Auto, Hermes (1 July 2022). "Distribution of TraceTogether Tokens scaled back as demand falls | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  68. ↑ cue (9 February 2023). "No masks on public transport, free vaccines: 6 things you need to know as S'pore lifts Covid-19 rules | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  69. ↑ "COVID-19: MOH issues important TraceTogether token 'exercise' for Singaporeans". sg.news.yahoo.com. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  70. 1 2 Bay, Jason; Kek, Joel; Tan, Alvin; Chai, Sheng Hau; Lai, Yongquan; Tan, Janice; Tang, Anh Quy. "BlueTrace: A privacy-preserving protocol for community-driven contact tracing across borders" (PDF). Government Technology Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  71. ↑ "TraceTogether Privacy Safeguards". Government Technology Agency. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  72. ↑ Baumgärtner, Lars; Dmitrienko, Alexandra; Freisleben, Bernd; Gruler, Alexander; Höchst, Jonas; Kühlberg, Joshua; Mezini, Mira; Mitev, Richard; Miettinen, Markus; Muhamedagic, Anel; Thien Duc Nguyen; Penning, Alvar; Dermot Frederik Pustelnik; Roos, Filipp; Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza; Schwarz, Michael; Uhl, Christian (2020). "Mind the GAP: Security & Privacy Risks of Contact Tracing Apps". arXiv: 2006.05914 [cs.CR].
  73. ↑ "How can I stop sharing my data?". Government Technology Agency. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  74. 1 2 "Critical need to rebuild the public's trust in TraceTogether". The Straits Times. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  75. ↑ Ngiam, Shin Tung (11 January 2021). "Privacy laws applied to the Government at last". The Online Citizen. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  76. 1 2 3 4 Mohan, Matthew. "Singapore Police Force can obtain TraceTogether data for criminal investigations: Desmond Tan". CNA. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  77. 1 2 "Police may access TraceTogether data for investigations: Desmond Tan". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  78. ↑ "Singapore Police May Use Contact Tracing Data for Investigations". Bloomberg.com. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  79. 1 2 3 "TraceTogether: Vivian regrets anxiety caused by his mistake". The Straits Times. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  80. 1 2 Ho, Grace (3 February 2021). "Critical need to rebuild the public's trust in TraceTogether". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  81. ↑ Ang, Hwee Min; Abdullah, Zhaki (5 January 2021). "Police can only ask for TraceTogether data through person involved in criminal probe: Vivian Balakrishnan". CNA. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  82. ↑ "Police will restrict use of TraceTogether data to very serious offences". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  83. ↑ "TraceTogether data was accessed in May 2020 for Punggol Fields murder investigation". The Straits Times. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  84. ↑ "Punggol Field murder: Man, 22, gets life term, caning for stabbing jogger in 'senseless' killing". The New Paper. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  85. ↑ Baharudin, Hariz (5 January 2021). "Police's ability to use TraceTogether data raises questions on trust: Experts". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  86. ↑ Elangovan, Avene (7 January 2021). "Some TraceTogether users upset with Govt's revelation on police access to data, say they'll use it less". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  87. ↑ "350 people have asked for their contact tracing data to be deleted". The Straits Times. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  88. ↑ "TraceTogether". www.tracetogether.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  89. ↑ Illmer, Andreas (5 January 2021). "Singapore reveals Covid privacy data available to police". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  90. ↑ Baharudin, Hariz (5 January 2021). "Police will restrict use of TraceTogether data to 'very serious offences', says Shanmugam". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  91. ↑ Tham, Yuen-C (5 January 2021). "Recommended by Parliament: TraceTogether programme to be stood down after pandemic". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  92. 1 2 3 4 "Bill restricting use of TraceTogether data for serious crimes passed by Parliament". CNA. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  93. ↑ "Hong Kong sees rush for burner phones as govt pushes Covid-19 contact-tracing app". The Straits Times. 18 February 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  94. ↑ Wong, Natalie (17 February 2021). "Can law enforcers access data on Hong Kong Covid-19 contact-tracing app?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.