French COVID tracing app will not be ready when parliament debates it

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s state-supported tracing app project “StopCovid” will not be ready when parliament debates it on April 28-29, the minister for digital affairs Cedric O said on Friday.

The smartphone app, aimed at warning users if they came into contact with a coronavirus carrier, has raised questions about the impact of tracing technology on civil liberties.

The government has not provided much technical detail on the project, which will be based on a proximity-tracking Bluetooth app that users would install on their mobile phone on a voluntary basis.

A debate is scheduled in France’s National Assembly on April 28-29 but no formal vote is planned.

“This app won’t be finalized by April 28-29,” O, a staunch defender of the tracing app, said during a video conference hearing with French lawmakers.

He added that the app may not even be ready by May 11, when the government plans to gradually lift the country’s nationwide lockdown.

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