Read on Twitter
So the NHS Covid-19 app has nothing to do with Serco. It was created by NHSX, although some third-parties did the coding (this is pretty standard practice – it’s not like the NHS has a big team of Android/iOS coders always on hand). 1/2
The only news source that I can find which refers to it as “made by Serco” is... Russia Today. Now why would RT want to spread a rumour which is more likely to make people in the UK not want to download an app which could help slow Covid? I wonder. 2/2
Some interesting stuff I’ve found out on the back of this. First, the list of partners involved in the app: https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/article/KA-01106/en-us?parentid=CAT-01040&rootid=CAT-01021
Second, the full architecture details for the app. Literally everything you would ever want to know about why it works as it does is in here, somewhere: https://github.com/nhsx/covid19-app-system-public/blob/master/doc/architecture/ag-architecture-guidebook.md
Privacy documentation for the app: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-covid-19-app-privacy-information
Including the answers to two questions: why doesn’t it work with NHS tests in England but does in Wales (basically: the NHS testing results aren’t in a centralised database for it to hook into) https://mobile.twitter.com/pixeltrix/status/1310163086209363968
Any why doesn’t it have a check out system for locations you can you check into? (basically the data source for that isn’t derived from Bluetooth data and doesn’t have the granularity to say you’re at risk when you visited at a specific time). https://github.com/nhsx/covid19-app-system-public/blob/master/doc/architecture/ag-architecture-guidebook.md#venue-check-in-matching-identifed-risk-venues-and-alert-user
