At a glance.
- Progress of contact-tracing apps.
- Securing calls between the US House and the US Senate.
- Ballot initiative proposes follow-on legislation to the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Progress of contact-tracing apps.
The UK's contact-tracing app, undergoing trials on the Isle of Wight, is attracting further skepticism about its efficacy. While download rates during the trials have been reported to be satisfyingly high, ComputerWeekly reports that recent studies have cast doubt on the willingness of British users to install the app.
The existing NHS App, not the contact-tracing app, but rather the app through which patients access healthcare data and book appointments with their doctors, is being considered for adaptation into an "immunity passport," the Telegraph writes. According to the app's developer, iProov, addition of facial recognition software to the tool could be used to verify the identity and immunity status of users.
Securing calls between the US House and the US Senate.
A bipartisan, bicameral group of members of the US Congress have asked that phone calls among members of the upper and lower chambers be encrypted, the better to thwart collection by foreign intelligence services. The Verge reports that the initiative began with some Senators. The Washington Post shared a letter signed by members of both chambers addressed to the officers responsible for Congressional security.
A ballot initiative proposes follow-on legislation to the California Consumer Privacy Act.
An advocacy group, Californians for Consumer Privacy, is seeking to have the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) placed on the ballot for the November election. The ballot initiative would, if it became law, significantly enhance the scope of the state's privacy laws. Baker Botts has a summary of the initiative's provisions.