Germany switches to ‘decentralised’ contact tracing approach

According to a Reuters report, Germany is set to adopt a ‘decentralised’ approach to contact tracing, essentially abandoning its original approach that would have given health authorities centralised control over tracing data. Many European countries have chosen to use Bluetooth signals to register a potential contact with individuals who tested positive for the Coronavirus. However, the countries disagreed as to where such contacts should be logged, individual devices or on a central server. Germany had no alternative but to change course when Apple refused to change the settings on its iPhones. For Bluetooth exchanges to work on IPhone, the device needs to be unlocked with the app running in the foreground. This drains the battery and inconveniences the user.