Read on Twitter
1/ I spent a bit of time looking at the Canada COVID Alert app this evening. Bottom line: this app is pretty much the model for how to do this kind of tech.
2/ It's super clear about what data it collects and doesn't, and about how it works. This is not easy stuff to convey.
3/ It's such a caring and lovely flow. Here it is letting you know it's about to ask for that single permission it needs – to access the Google/Apple API.
4/ It uses the "one-time key" for declaring yourself positive. You can't just do it willy nilly, you need a health-care provider to confirm you have COVID and then you get to warn others.
(Many hypothesized this tech would be vulnerable to spurious reports... no way.)
(Many hypothesized this tech would be vulnerable to spurious reports... no way.)
5/ And the whole stack is open-source! Client and Server!
https://github.com/cds-snc/covid-alert-app
https://github.com/cds-snc/covid-alert-server
https://github.com/cds-snc/covid-alert-app
https://github.com/cds-snc/covid-alert-server
6/ The tech choices are solid.
React Native on the front-end, which is exactly what I would have done. (I would have gone full @expo, but React Native is great.)
Golang, SQL database, Docker on the backend, with a fairly straight-forward API and implementation.
React Native on the front-end, which is exactly what I would have done. (I would have gone full @expo, but React Native is great.)
Golang, SQL database, Docker on the backend, with a fairly straight-forward API and implementation.
7/ (I would have used JSON instead of protobufs, it would make it a lot easier for other clients, but maybe that doesn't matter so much here.)
8/ So, a carefully designed app that is respectful of users, obviously loops in the health department, uses solid tech stacks that are sufficiently high-level to focus on the key features and not on the low-level generic machinery. All open-source.
Way to go Canada!
Way to go Canada!
