Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia delivered what is believed to be the first speech ever from the House floor using artificial intelligence voice technology. Wexton was diagnosed last year with a rare neurological disorder that robbed her of her ability to speak clearly.
COVID-19 virus tracking apps are here - are they safe to download?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, many of us have already gotten used to the constant disruption. Athletic events are irregularly scheduled, many stores continue to require masks and millions of Americans are still working from home nearly 6 months after the virus first arrived in America.
But there is reason to be hopeful. As of now, tests that confirm COVID-19 are becoming faster and more accurate than before. Beyond that, contact tracing apps that can alert users of their exposure risk are finally starting to emerge here in the U.S. Tap or click here to see what the first one looks like.
Contact tracing apps offer a convenient way to stay aware of our risk factor, but a lack of widespread adoption will make them totally ineffective. And now, several new apps from different states are just becoming available to download. Only one question remains: Are they actually safe to use on your phone?
New contact tracing apps arrive in America
Despite the fact that contact tracing apps have existed for some time in other parts of the world, the U.S. is finally getting its own share of apps that can potentially help people stay informed about their exposure to the virus. The hope, should widespread adoption occur, is that enough people will know their risk status so they can do their part to slow the spread.
The first of these apps, Virginia’s COVIDWISE, debuted on August 5. But several new states have followed up with their own apps, and more may be coming down the pipeline depending on how these programs perform.
All of the apps are designed to take advantage of Apple and Google’s jointly-developed API for exposure notifications. Tap or click here to see how the COVID-19 exposure notification API works.
Here are all the COVID-19 tracing apps and the states that have made them available so far:
- Virginia: The COVIDWISE app is available to download for both iOS and Android.
- North Dakota: The Care19 Alert app is available to download for both iOS and Android.
- Wyoming: The state of Wyoming also uses the Care19 Alert app, which is available to download for both iOS and Android.
- Alabama: The GuideSafe app is available to download for both iOS and Android.
- Nevada: The COVID Trace app is available to download for both iOS and Android.
- Arizona: Arizona’s app, COVID Watch Arizona, is currently being tested by the University of Arizona and expected to be released in the next several weeks.
These apps will typically require you to enter a code you’ll get with a positive test result. This data is then uploaded to a health-authority server that anonymizes it and makes it available to other apps performing their daily check-ins. If the app sees one of its reports match its list of confirmed contacts, it sends an exposure notification and advises quarantine.
Sounds good, right? Well, there is still a high degree of skepticism from many would-be users — particularly when it comes to privacy. Tap or click here to see some of the biggest privacy issues users are worried about.
Big deal or Big Data?
COVID-19 tracing app launches in the US - here's what it looks like
Near the start of the pandemic, contact tracing apps were seen as an effective tool to slow the spread of disease. With the help of location services on people’s smartphones, an app could pinpoint outbreak clusters and help notify people of their exposure risk.
The worthless product scam from Amazon merchants
Imagine receiving thousands of packages from Amazon that you didn’t even order. In this one-minute podcast, I’ll share how this exact scenario unfolded for a woman in Virginia.
What I Streamed And Liked: 'Remember the Titans'
We are just at the end of the football season with the Super Bowl just around the corner. That makes it a great time to go back and watch some classic football movies. Many would say this one is the most beloved.