Huawei HMS Core has got version 4.1.0.301 update, bringing in Contact Shield API, which will be used to trace and reduce Covid-19's presence in the population.
HMS Core Contact Shield is a low-power Bluetooth-based contact-tracing infrastructure service provided by HMS Core, according to information on the Huawei developer website.
Government organizations can use the API to develop applications for new coronavirus contact tracing.
Based on the protection of user privacy, it enables interoperability with other mobile phones to help users diagnose whether they have been in contact with a person infected with the virus, exchange data with the detected device, and anonymously record information about such contacts to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus.
Huawei also made the following remarks regarding privacy:
It is up to the user to decide: whether to participate in the HMS Core Contact Shield program, whether to upload an anonymous ID to the cloud, and whether to access diagnostic results.
Only dynamically generated anonymous IDs are used; no private information such as the user's location is recorded, saved or used; anonymous IDs are only saved for a limited time (14 days).
Data Deletion: Local history data stored on your phone is deleted when you uninstall the app; you can also manually delete it directly. All historical data.
API Authorized Use: Only application developers who are authorized by government organizations and have been strictly verified by Huawei are allowed to use the HMS Core Contact Shield API.
Application Developer Use Agreement Binding: Huawei signs a separate add-on service agreement with the developers who use it, requiring compliance with user privacy regulations.
Almost all vendors, including Huawei, are interested in building a tracking system to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Google and Apple had released an "Apple-Google contact tracing API" in April that allowed companies to join a secure, anonymous tracking system developed by them and exchange information to collaboratively track potentially dangerous contacts and alert users to whether they had been exposed to a coronavirus risk zone.
But the service is only available on Apple iOS devices and Android models with Google's GMS pre-installed, so it's not available on Huawei's latest devices.
