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Scott Morrison Doesn't Rule Out Making It Mandatory To Download App That Tracks Your Movements

Scott Morrison Doesn't Rule Out Making It Mandatory To Download App That Tracks Your Movements

The prime minister says the app will be essential in saving lives.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The Australian government has been promoting an app for people to download in the fight against the coronavirus.

The app is currently being checked by the Australian Signals Directorate, however, once approved, it would essentially track your movements.

The aim would be to ensure that people aren't gathering together in groups larger than two, in keeping with current social distancing laws.

PA

This app would use bluetooth to record where you are and whether you spend more than 15 minutes in one spot.

It's currently only voluntary to sign up to, however Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at least 50 per cent of the population needs to be on it for it to work, according to the Guardian.

As a result, it could soon become mandatory to jump on.

Speaking to Triple M radio, Mr Morrison said: "My preference is not to do that, my preference is to give Australians the go of getting it right ... I don't want to be drawn on that [making it mandatory], I want to give Australians the opportunity to get it right.

"That's my plan A and I really want plan A to work. I know this would be something they might not normally do at an ordinary time but this is not an ordinary time.

A similar app released in the Netherlands.
PA

"If you download this app you'll be helping save someone's life."

The Prime Minister insisted that the data collected from the app wouldn't be passed onto police to prosecute people for unauthorised gatherings.

Instead, the data could be used to pass onto health authorities when they need to do contact tracing following a positive coronavirus result.

Mr Morrison understands that there are a lot of questions about privacy, however he says this app will hopefully save lives.

"In the war, people bought war bonds to get in behind the national effort," he said.

PA

"What we're doing in fighting this fight is we'll be asking people to download an app which helps us trace the virus quickly and the more people who do that, the more we can get back to a more liveable set of arrangements."

We'll have to wait and see exactly how the app works when it gets approved and uploaded.

Mr Morrison hopes to have those tests and checks done soon.

He added: "The reason we are not quite ready yet is we are still working through ensuring that it meets the privacy protections, which are robust and up to a standard that we believe is necessary for the Australian context, and that is what the attorney general is working on right now."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Technology