Apple responds to US Senate over privacy impact of COVID-19 screening tools

Apple has responded to a letter from the US Senate raising privacy concerns regarding its COVID-19 screening tools to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter, Apple indicates that the company has entered into an agreement with the US government for the development of tools providing COVID-19 information to US citizens. Apple stated it does not currently collect any information entered into the website and app by individuals; and applies data minimisation to all personal data. In the letter, Apple also committed to never selling the data collected from the website or the app to third parties. The Verge reports that the screening tool does not ask for users’ name, but it requests information about their age, travel history, possible exposure to infected people, and other details that could determine whether they should be tested.