EC Launches Cross-Border Contact-Tracing Tech

The European Commission activated interoperability gateway service for national contact tracing apps in Germany, Republic of Ireland and Italy. The service allows the encrypted data of millions of people related to COVID-19 infections to be transferred across borders.

EC said in a statement that its gateway went live on 19 October after a pilot phase, and is initially connecting Germany’s Corona-Warn-App, Ireland’s COVID Tracker and Italy’s Immuni app. Combined downloads of the trio total 30 million. The EC said another batch of apps will be added next week, with services deployed in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia and Spain expected to join the group.

Interoperability through the gateway service will be possible for a total of 20 apps based on decentralised systems, the EC explained, without providing information how the remaining seven EU member states could be included. The EC added that the cross-border system does not allow identification of individual persons, and doesn’t track user’s location or movement of devices. Information is, according to the statement, only stored as long as necessary to trace infections.