all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited to wszechstronne rozwiązanie zapewniające prywatność"],"Black Friday":["Czarny Piątek"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Brak reklam. Prywatność w standardzie."],"People before profits":["Ludzie przed zyskiem"],"Security through transparency":["Bezpieczeństwo dzięki przejrzystości"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Najlepsze oferty Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["Jedyna na świecie usługa poczty elektronicznej wspierana przez społeczność"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } godzina","${ hours } godziny","${ hours } godzin","${ hours } godziny"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Pozostało: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } i ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuta","${ minutes } minuty","${ minutes } minut","${ minutes } minuty"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } sekunda","${ seconds } sekundy","${ seconds } sekund","${ seconds } sekundy"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta ograniczona czasowo"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Utwórz wiele adresów"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Aliasy hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Szybko anuluj subskrypcję biuletynów"],"Use your own domain name":["Korzystaj z własnej nazwy domeny"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Opinie naszych klientów"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Uzyskaj zaszyfrowaną usługę e-mail, która chroni Twoją prywatność"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Wyprzedaż Proton Mail z okazji Czarnego Piątku – uzyskaj do 40% zniżki"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Uzyskaj do 40% zniżki na subskrypcje Proton Mail w ten Czarny Piątek. Znajdź wspaniałe oferty naszych bezpiecznych planów usługi poczty elektronicznej w szyfrowaniu end-to-end."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Wyprzedaż Proton Mail z okazji Czarnego Piątku | Do 40% zniżki na bezpieczną pocztę elektroniczną"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["* Płatne ${ TOTAL_SUM } za pierwszy rok"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["* Płatne ${ TOTAL_SUM } za pierwsze 2 lata"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["30-dniowa gwarancja zwrotu pieniędzy"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["Płatne ${ TOTAL_SUM } za pierwsze 2 lata"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["Płatne ${ TOTAL_SUM } za pierwszy rok"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Oszczędzasz ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["-${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["-${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Uwielbiam ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Moja ulubiona usługa e-mail"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Dziękuję Protonowi za dbanie o nasze bezpieczeństwo w skomplikowanym internetowym uniwersum."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Dostajesz to, za co płacisz. W przypadku przedsiębiorstw big tech, jeśli nie płacisz nic, zostaniesz wykorzystany. Przestałam korzystać z Gmail i przeniosłam się na @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Dni"],"Hours":["Godz."],"Min":["Min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["I wiele więcej"],"Make your inbox yours":["Spraw, aby Twoja skrzynka odbiorcza była naprawdę Twoja"],"Safe from trackers":["Bezpieczeństwo od skryptów śledzących"],"Stay organized":["Zachowaj porządek"],"Black Friday email deals":["Oferty e-mailowe na Czarny Piątek"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["Nie musisz wierzyć nam na słowo"],"Our story":["Nasza historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Przenieś dane z Google jednym kliknięciem"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Uzyskaj dostęp do zablokowanych treści i przeglądaj prywatnie Internet. Zawiera ponad ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } serwerów w ponad ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } krajach z możliwością połączenia do 10 urządzeń, a także dostęp do globalnych usług streamingu, blokadę reklam, złośliwego oprogramowania i wiele więcej."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Łatwo udostępniaj swój kalendarz rodzinie, znajomym oraz współpracownikom i wyświetla kalendarze zewnętrzne."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Zawiera obsługę 1 niestandardowej domeny e-mail, 10 adresów e-mail, 10 aliasów hide-my-email, udostępnianie kalendarza i nie tylko."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Obejmuje obsługę 3 niestandardowych domen e-mail, 15 adresów e-mail, nielimitowane aliasy hide-my-email, udostępnianie kalendarza i nie tylko."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Zarządzanie nawet 25 kalendarzami, aplikacje mobilne, bezpieczne szyfrowanie metodą end-to-end, importowanie kalendarza za pomocą jednego kliknięcia z Google i więcej."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["W tej chwili mamy problemy z usługą Proton VPN"],"Learn more":["Dowiedz się więcej"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Dowiedz się więcej"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Uwaga: obecnie występują problemy z usługą ${ issues[0] }."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["Mamy problemy z co najmniej jedną usługą."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugestie"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Podkategoria","Podkategorie","Podkategorii","Podkategorii"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Kategoria","Kategorie","Kategorii","Kategorii"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["Nie znaleziono szukanej frazy?"],"General contact":["Skontaktuj się, wykorzystując ogólne zapytanie"],"Get help":["Uzyskaj pomoc"],"Legal contact":["Skontaktuj się z działem prawnym"],"Media contact":["Skontaktuj się z zespołem medialnym"],"Partnerships contact":["Skontaktuj się z zespołem ds. partnerstwa"],"Reading":["Odczytywanie"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Przeglądaj wsparcie dotyczące produktów Proton"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["W tej kategorii jeszcze nie ma żadnego artykułu."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Wybierz ---"],"App version":["Wersja aplikacji"],"Browser":["Przeglądarka"],"Check if this helps":["Sprawdź, czy to pomoże"],"Choose a category for your question":["Wybierz kategorię pytania"],"Choose a product":["Wybierz produkt"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["Czy Twój problem został rozwiązany?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Szybsze wsparcie w zasięgu ręki – dokonaj wyboru"],"No, contact support":["Nie, skontaktuj się z pomocą techniczną"],"Proton account":["Konto Proton"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Dziękujemy za podzielenie się opinią"],"Troubleshooting":["Rozwiązywanie problemów"],"What can we help with ?":["W czym możemy Ci pomóc?"],"Yes":["Tak"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Zapytanie wyszukiwania"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Szukaj"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Szukam"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["W celu szybszego rozwiązania problemu dokonaj zgłoszenia przez aplikację Bridge: Pomoc > Zgłoś problem."],"Information":["Informacje"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Bezpieczeństwo konta"],"Contacts":["Kontakty"],"Custom email domain":["Niestandardowa domena e-mail"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Dostarczanie wiadomości e-mail i spam"],"Encryption":["Szyfrowanie"],"Login and password":["Login i hasło"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Scalanie aliasów i kont"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migracja do Proton"],"Notifications":["Powiadomienia"],"Other":["Inne"],"Plans and billing":["Plany i rozliczenia"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Rejestracja"],"Storage":["Przestrzeń dyskowa"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Użytkownicy, adresy i tożsamości"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Wybierz temat"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Ulokowany w Szwajcarii"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Nagrody"],"Customers":["Klienci"],"Featured":["Wyróżnione"],"Go to testimonial source":["Przejdź do źródła referencji"],"Reviews":["Opinie"],"Videos":["Pliki wideo"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Znajdź odpowiedni plan dla siebie"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Jeśli potrzebujesz pomocy, sprawdź naszą ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Strona, której szukasz, mogła zostać usunięta lub link jest przestarzały."]},"Title":{"On this page":["Na tej stronie"],"Related articles":["Powiązane artykuły"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["Udostępnij ${ thisPage }"],"Thank you!":["Dziękujemy!"],"this page":["tę stronę"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Więcej informacji"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Utwórz do 20 niestandardowych, szyfrowanych kalendarzy z możliwością ich udostępniania. Ponadto możesz dodać do 5 kalendarzy znajomych, rodziny, współpracowników i organizacji."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Uzyskaj dostęp do zablokowanych treści i przeglądaj prywatnie Internet. Zawiera ponad ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } serwerów w ponad ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } krajach, najwyższe prędkości VPN, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } połączeń VPN, usługi streamingu na całym świecie, blokowanie reklam oraz złośliwego oprogramowania i wiele więcej."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Uzyskaj dostęp do zablokowanych treści i przeglądaj prywatnie Internet. Zawiera ponad ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } serwerów w ponad ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } krajach, najwyższe prędkości VPN, 10 połączeń VPN, usługi streamingu na całym świecie, blokowanie reklam oraz złośliwego oprogramowania i wiele więcej."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Historia wersji"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Przechowuj do ${ versionHistoryNumber } wersji każdego pliku do ${ years } lat"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["Wyświetl plany usługi VPN"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Uzyskaj dostęp do zablokowanej zawartości i przeglądaj ją prywatnie"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
What you need to know about contact tracing apps and privacy | Proton
Nearly all public health experts say we will have to employ testing and tracing on a massive scale to combat the spread of COVID-19. This has led a number of countries and tech companies to develop coronavirus contact tracing apps for smartphones. The idea is that such an app would allow someone who tested positive to share a complete record of who they had been in contact with.
While some questions have been raised(new window) about whether this type of tracking is the solution, it could be an effective tool in any national test-and-trace program. However, if the idea of a government agency monitoring you makes you uneasy, you are not alone. Such apps represent a type of surveillance that many are uncomfortable with.
Some developers have taken this into consideration and are building systems that protect the privacy of their users. Other contact tracing apps have done little to keep user data secure and private, opening the door to the misuse of data and abuse of privacy.
Our core mission is to protect the rights to privacy and freedom, so our security team has examined the most popular contact tracing protocols to assess their potential for abuse. This article will give examples of good, flawed, and bad approaches to contact tracing from a privacy perspective. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the contact tracing protocols. Rather, it should help you identify the key points that bolster or undermine a protocol’s privacy protections.
Why this is important
Given the enormity of the challenge COVID-19 poses, it is important we get this right. We must do what we can to control the spread of the virus while still protecting our fundamental human rights.
History has shown us that surveillance regimes are easier to build than they are to dismantle. The Snowden revelations taught us that we must always be vigilant when protecting our right to privacy. We must design any contact tracing system with care to ensure we do not create an invasive data collection system that could be used to monitor citizens after this crisis is over or for activities that have nothing to do with containing the virus.
Additionally, privacy protections are crucial to the efficacy of any contact tracing program that uses apps. To have a measurable impact, a contact tracing app will need to have near-universal uptake among smartphone users. If users refuse to download or use an app because of privacy concerns, it will be less useful in preventing the spread of the disease.
Approaches that are private by design
There is currently a race to develop an app that can quickly register if you spent enough time around someone in close enough proximity that disease transmission could have taken place. Governments, academics, and private businesses are all working on protocols, or the set of instructions that governs how electronic devices communicate, for these apps. The slight differences in how these protocols collect and report data can have profound impacts on their users’ privacy.
Although these protocols were developed by different teams, they take similar approaches to the problem and, therefore, have similar strengths. Both protocols are open source, minimize the amount of data that is collected, and do not collect geo-location information. They rely on temporary ID codes that the app shares via Bluetooth with other devices within a six-foot radius to log encounters between individuals. The primary difference between these two protocols is how they generate and log these temporary ID codes.
Both of these protocols store your contact log (the record of the people you encountered throughout the day) locally on your device. But the feature that sets DP-3T and TCN apart from other Bluetooth-based contact tracing apps is that they use a decentralized report processing protocol. If you test positive for COVID-19, these apps share their secret keys from the time period you were contagious with a central server. Using those keys, the server can derive all the temporary IDs your app encountered and create a report. The apps on all devices then check their local contact logs against that report. If the app detects a match, that user will know they should quarantine themselves. Because the reports are verified locally on users’ devices and not by the central server, the central server cannot identify any contact log or user.
This decentralized approach makes it very difficult for any one organization or actor to abuse the data. The data that is public is anonymous, and the sensitive data never leaves an individual’s device. Another critical aspect of both these protocols is that the app deletes data after 14 days (which is the amount of time someone can be asymptomatic while still being sick with COVID-19). This means that once the coronavirus outbreak has been dealt with, there will not be any database left behind for governments or corporations to use.
Countries that have adopted or support apps that use DP-3T or TCN (or a similar protocol that uses decentralized report processing) include:
Switzerland
Austria
Estonia
Finland
Italy
The Google/Apple Exposure Notification system, which is an application programming interface designed to make it easier for contact tracing apps to work with the Android and iOS operating systems, requires decentralized storage of data and is inspired by DP-3T(new window).
Flawed approaches
Similar to DP-3T and TCN, the Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing(new window)(PEPP-PT) and BlueTrace(new window) protocols rely on Bluetooth to send and receive temporary ID codes to log encounters between individuals. They also are open source, minimize the amount of data collected, and do not collect geo-location data. However, PEPP-PT and BlueTrace rely on a centralized server to generate the temporary ID codes, which an analysis from the DP-3T developers(new window) claims could let the server identify the individual behind any temporary code and trace their movements.
PEPP-PT and BlueTrace also rely on centralized report processing. If you test positive for COVID-19 and you are using one of these apps, you must upload your entire contact log to a central server. The central server then matches your log to the contact details of everyone you encountered and sends out a warning. While this does allow health professionals to verify encounters, which can reduce the number of false positives, this creates a massive database that can be exploited or abused. Moreover, whoever operates this database has access to far more data than is needed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Countries that have adopted or support apps that use PEPP-PT or BlueTrace (or a similar protocol that uses centralized report processing) include:
UK
France
Australia
New Zealand
Singapore
While apps built on protocols that use centralized report processing are not ideal from a privacy standpoint, they could still prove useful in slowing the spread of the virus. It is possible, if there are strong data protection policies and good governance in place, for a contact tracing program to respect privacy and use these apps.
Approaches that undermine privacy
There have also been contact tracing apps that make no effort to protect privacy. South Korea(new window) used a combination of cell phone data, credit card purchase history, and surveillance cameras to track individuals. Using these methods, the government had access to troves of personal information, including people’s age, gender, nationality, and occupation. Authorities also made much of this information public in attempts to alert people that local citizens had COVID-19.
Israel’s approach was even more extreme(new window) — such that it has been put on hold(new window) because of legal challenges. In this case, the government would have received geo-location data from phone companies. The government would then use a new interface designed by the surveillance firm NSO to download contact information and call records from mobile phones, allowing authorities to track, identify, and contact anyone that may have come into contact with someone who was sick.
China has taken one of the most invasive approaches(new window). It introduced a nationwide effort to force citizens to download an app that determines whether they should be quarantined. This app can access personal data on an individual’s phone, including their geo-location, link it to an ID number, and report it back to a government server. There are also reports that this data has not just been used for public health administration but has also been shared with law enforcement.
Conclusion
COVID-19 is a global emergency, and lives are at risk. We need to take action. However, we must also try to reduce the negative side effects of any solutions we introduce. We wrote this article to raise awareness of the potential privacy risks posed by contact tracing apps so that citizens can pressure their government to make the correct choice.
It is also important to note that protecting our privacy will require more than just technical solutions. It will require good governance and data protection policy. Legislation, like the draft of Britain’s Coronavirus (Safeguards) Act(new window), will be required to ensure that all data is handled responsibly and that the benefits of contact tracing also reach those who do not have a smartphone.
Society is at a crossroads. We need to act to stem the spread of COVID-19; however, we must act responsibly. A contact tracing protocol that is private by design, coupled with mass testing and responsible data governance, could not only help us halt the spread of this virus, but ensure we come out of this crisis with even stronger privacy protections in place.
Updated May 28, 2020, to clarify how DP-3T and TCN share positive tests. Updated June 30, 2020, to add details about the Google/Apple Exposure Notification system.
If you’re a United States citizen or permanent resident, you have a Social
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Dictionary attacks are a common method hackers use to try to crack passwords and
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