In view of the increasing number of infections with the novel coronavirus, the members of the Bundestag Committee on Digital Agenda wanted to find out which new functions the German government’s Corona Warning App (CWA) had at their non-public meeting on Wednesday could continue to score in the fight against the pandemic. One focus of the developers at SAP and Deutsche Telekom is currently the migration to the second version of the Bluetooth interface from Apple and Google.

This According to a note from the Bundestag, a BMG representative told the group that the changeover will take place in November. With the update, a data comparison should take place several times a day instead of once a day in order to check whether the program has recorded possible risk encounters with infected people. There are also considerations to expand the app to include a contact diary that only the user has access to. The Berlin virologist Christian Drosten, for example, advised this step.

High acceptance through data economy The idea of ​​using the app on the contact details In contrast, the government is skeptical, according to the BMG envoy, “because it is contrary to voluntariness”. It is generally important to the ministry that all additional functionalities do not contradict this basic principle of the CWA and that “the implementation can be carried out in a data-saving manner”. Because this has led to the “extremely high acceptance and download rate, also in international comparison”.

21, 8 million people in Germany have downloaded the Corona warning app so far. According to observers, the number of active users is a few million lower. From the BMG it was said that currently more than 2000 users via the CWA others about a Covid disease – 19 anonymously. 2.8 million test results have already been transferred to the app. This shows “that the app fulfills its basic task well”.

Bluetooth bracelet as an alternative to the smartphone Given Despite the expenses for the development and operation of the application amounting to almost 70 million euros, the MPs bored out how the app could be improved. The ministerial official explained that work is currently being carried out on European interoperability so that the CWA will also function in other EU countries. The decision on possible additional developments is currently being coordinated with other departments. Nothing is ready for a decision here.

A parliamentarian from the left-wing parliamentary group asked about the doubted functionality of the app in public transport and the apparently still inadequate connection of hospital laboratories to the app. A member of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group was interested in whether older mobile devices could be better integrated. The BMG representative then referred to a study by the University of Kiel. In this context, a Bluetooth bracelet is designed for people who do not have a smartphone or one that is too old. Expected costs of around 21 euros per device are to be expected.

Softening data protection requirements – mandatory use The CDU member of the Bundestag Tino Sorge meanwhile promotes softening the data protection requirements of the CWA: “The app could help us even better if the Health authorities would selectively receive data access, “he said repeatedly in interviews. A central comparison would be necessary for this. Corresponding applications for contact tracing with servers at the authorities are considered to have failed in France and Australia. If the Bremen CDU chairman Thomas Röwekamp has his way, the German citizens should even be obliged to use the CWA under threat of a fine.

According to the results of a Forsa survey published in October on behalf of RTL 50 Percent of German citizens believe that the high data protection requirements of the CWA should be relaxed in order to be able to automatically feed positive tests and to track users to enable. In particular, users of the app are in favor of this (66 percent) along with supporters of the CDU / CSU (63 percent) as well as from the SPD and FDP with 62 percent. 39 Percent of respondents reject such steps. Among them are mainly supporters of the AfD as well as the Greens and the Left with values ​​between 50 and 43 percent.

(bme)