More than a million Australians download COVIDSafe tracing app in 12 hours
Australians have downloaded the coronavirus contact-tracing app in droves, smashing government expectations of uptake rates.
NOW | Neil Mitchell.
“I’ll sign up. I’ll get the app.
“I think it’s crucial. There will be outbreaks as we lift restrictions and this could help save lives.”https://t.co/EjpwxlNa84
— 3AW Melbourne (@3AW693) April 26, 2020
The COVIDSafe app went live at 6pm on Sunday, and by 6am Monday 1.13 million Australians had already downloaded it.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australians were far quicker to download the app than anticipated.
“We had hoped we might get to a million within five days and we were lucky enough as a country to get there in five hours last night,” he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
The federal government has stated that at least 40 per cent of the population, about 10 million people, must download the contact-tracing app for it to be effective.
Mr Hunt played down data security concerns associated with the tracing app.
“It has the strongest data protections, both physically and in law, that Australia has ever had,” he said.
The source code for the app will be made public within 14 days, as requested by data protection advocates.
But before that happens, security experts will review the information to be made public.
“We want to make sure under no circumstances is there anything which will risk privacy,” Mr Hunt said.
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