The COVID Alert app is expected to be shut down by the federal government, as soon as this week, notes unnamed sources speaking to CBC News. Similar reports of the app’s demise were also shared by The Globe and Mail and Canadian Press on Monday.
Canada’s COVID Alert app is based on Google and Apple’s exposure notification framework, which leverages Bluetooth on devices for anonymous “handshakes” in the background. The app does not use GPS info or collect any user data. It has been vetted as safe by Canada’s privacy commissioner and provincial counterparts.
When someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can anonymously alert others that may have been in contact using COVID Alert, by obtaining a one-time-use key from their provincial health authority.
However, getting people to download an app is difficult and the feds stopped reporting COVID Alert app download updates in February.
According to the COVID Alert app dashboard, it reached 6,893,423 downloads as of February 1, 2022. Only 9 provinces and territories supported the app and only 57,704 one-time keys were issued.
The COVID Alert app cost the federal government $21 million dollar as of February and has sent over 371,000 notifications. News of the COVID Alert app being abandoned took place in late December 2021, while reports noted it was only used 869 times in November of the same year.
Provinces such as B.C. and Alberta opted not to support COVID Alert, while millions was spent marketing the app and encouraging Canadians to download it.
With most COVID-19 restrictions easing across Canada and worldwide, the need for an app like COVID Alert seems unnecessary, as its low app downloads made it ineffective.
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No idea how this app cost anything close to that amount of money to make – Apple and Google did almost all the work and all they needs to do was write a shell around it. We’re talking just a few days of a developers time – nowhere near $21 million dollars. Someone lined their pockets on this one.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see that they paid some contractor, that happens to be a liberal party donor, the $21m, and then saw a few million come back in party donations.
Not quite on the same scale as the hundreds of millions they tried to funnel to WE, but they have shown a pattern of ethics abuses.
Or maybe it was that family in Ontario that all worked in IT for the provincial government that got caught siphoning off millions.
I’m pretty certain the actual developer who built the app prolly just made 6 months of wages. The rest of the money was spent in conducting studies and other ‘consultations’ amongst the families and friends of turdeau and his PC entourage.
Yes I’m pretty certain it was made by ONE developer. It couldn’t possibly have taken more…unless again, they hired a family member or a close PC ‘friend’ develop who turns out is just terrible at the one job they had.
finally.. just another panic virus induced app that was pointless.. nothing but a tracking battery draining app. “oh no u got too close to someone’s phone so u might have virus now, ur doomed!”
would not be surprised if they just wanted to waste money on it to give themselves another reason to try fine people in every way possible for breaking their panic virus “rules” (which seems like we finally learned, didnt help anyway)..
I like checking the comment section on articles like this. It helps me identify who to block because of their small brain conspiracy-fuelled takes. Bye Felicia!
In the same camp here, oh well.
Haha you aren’t wrong. It’s amazing how many smooth brains disappear the second I log into disqus!