How Does the CA Notify App Provide Exposure Tracing?
The CA Notify app is provided by the state of California. Its primary goal is to slow the spread of COVID-19 by providing its users with notifications about their potential exposure to the virus. It is available free of charge and is not mandatory for anyone. The app boasts state-of-the-art user privacy features and does not collect a person’s personal or device information.
CA Notify has to be activated by a device user. It requires Bluetooth connectivity as well to receive the most accurate warning possible for coming into contact with a CA Notify system user who has contracted COVID-19. Once you receive an alert about someone testing positive, you can then use your best judgment as to whether you want to quarantine yourself and be tested. Of course, it is always recommended that you self-quarantine for a minimum of 10 to 14 days if you come into contact with anyone who has tested positive for the virus.
Does the CA Notify App Track Location at All Times?
The Bluetooth technology leveraged by the CA Notify app “exchanges randomly generated, anonymous numbers with phones you’ve been within 6 feet of for 15 minutes or longer. The codes last for 14 days and then are deleted from your device.”
If you happen to have been in contact with a person for 15 minutes or longer who is added to the system as testing positive for COVID-19, then you receive a notification alerting you. However, because the app doesn’t store any personal identifiable information, you are not alerted of the exact person who tested positive. Instead, you receive a standard alert that you may have been exposed.
Using the app to alert those you care for is simple as well. As a CA Notify app user, if you test positive for the virus, all you have to do is take the random code you receive through a text message (provided by the California Department of Public Health) and enter it into the app. This will trigger an automatic alert to go out to those CA Notify app users you’ve been in close contact with over the past two weeks.
How to Participate in the CA Notify App System?
You can rest assured that when using the CA Notify app, your personal information won’t be stored for any reason other than to alert users when they’ve come into close contact with another user who has tested positive for COVID-19. You can download the app through the Apple or Google app stores.
Final Thoughts
Want to learn more about the CA Notify app system and how you can use it for personal or organizational benefits? Check out this YouTube video, or contact the Alvarez Technology Group, a leading IT services company in Salinas, CA.