News Internet & Security Apple and Google Ban Location Tracking in Apps Using Contact Tracing Privacy is their driving principle by Senior News Editor Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Rob LeFebvre Published May 4, 2020 05:06PM EDT Internet & Security Phones Internet & Security Computers Smart & Connected Life Home Theater Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming View More Tweet Share Email The tech giants are keeping your data private from government, developers, and themselves while they create a system to help manage the COVID-19 crisis. Faustino Overstreet / CC BY 2.0 / Flickr Google and Apple said they will ban any apps using location tracking services along with their jointly-created contact tracing system. How this works: Reuters says the two companies account for 99 percent of smartphones, which means the decision will affect pretty much all of us. The contact tracing system uses Bluetooth signals to let you know if you've been in contact with another user who's reported as having COVID-19 symptoms. It's all done anonymously, of course; you don't want anyone coming after you if you're infected and walked near them. An issue: Some developers told Reuters last month that location data (which can be anonymized) was crucial to tracking the disease and any human movement associated with it. It would help experts track not only who was infected, but also identify any hotspots of the outbreak. The bottom line: Apple and Google have the final say here, as they roll out the API for public health agencies to use in their own apps. Developers can still create some workarounds, perhaps, but the tech companies seem to want to make utterly sure that our private health data is kept secure. Learn More About Privacy The 11 Best Privacy and Security Apps for Android 10 Best Web Privacy Tips Anyone Can Do Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit