Possible New Tools To Warn about Exposure to Coronavirus

Senator Glazer led a conversation about tools being used to warn people about exposure to COVID-19. Included in the discussion was an explanation of a new mobile phone app people could download to alert them if they’ve been around someone who later tests positive for the virus. While the information wouldn’t include names, there are still concerns about privacy and how the apps might be used.

Guests were:

• Ben Christopher, a journalist reporting extensively on this topic
• Dr. George Rutherford, M.D., a UCSF professor who is leading a new effort to train thousands of Californians to trace the contacts of those who test positive.
• Tina White, a Stanford University researcher and head of COVID Watch, which is developing an app to warn you if you’ve encountered someone who has tested positive.
• Jake Snow, an expert on contact tracing and privacy issues with the American Civil Liberties Union.