Is using your COVID-19 TRACKING APP your mobility under full government control or is this perhaps not the biggest issue healthcare institutions and care staff are waiting for? 

rushed and chaotic

First make sure that there are sufficient protective equipment, only then will we start thinking about an app, is a frequently heard statement of public opinion. The Civil Rights Platform and the Bits of Freedom action group speak in a joint open brief of a “rushed and chaotic” process that damages confidence in the project.

Despite these serious warnings from experts, business and science, Minister Hugo De Jonge continues at a killer pace. Also, some of the experts who have been involved in reducing dozens of ideas for corona apps over the past few days to some concrete proposals are moving away from the list of seven apps presented by the cabinet. The critics call on the cabinet to return to the drawing board.

“As far as we are concerned, a lot of good intentions have been worked hard by officials at the ministry to hook up all this expertise in such a short period of time. However, with the current pace of the selection process and the lack of transparency about decision-making, we currently see no role for us to make a positive contribution. There are simply no guarantees to test the proposals against the minimum criteria in the manifest. ”

As it normally goes with government IT, this may cost millions and it turns out afterwards that it works poorly. Millions, incidentally, that can be better used for healthcare, so that building such apps would not even become a 'must have'. Nice that there is a view of a brand new app! How happy the nursing homes will be with that, Hugo tweeted cynically to Hugo de Jonge. 

"An additional effect of this government corona app is that it will give citizens a false sense of security, so that the 1,5 meter economy will pass them by and the use of mouth masks no longer seems necessary.", Says Paul van der Velpen - old director of GGD Amsterdam.

government and failing ICT projects

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The criticisms are not tender for the ICT project. If the government had done its job better and protected people well, this app would not have been necessary at all, according to some on social media. George Orwell turns in his grave because of these developments, is one of the reactions on twitter. The basic rights of freedom of movement of the Dutch are being violated.

government engaged in wrong hasty decisions

“I would have preferred to hear about the purchase of large batches of mouth masks and other protective clothing for our healthcare employees,” tweets Nick van Meel

Many are more concerned about getting back to work and that there are enough tests. What about the presence of enough mouth masks. Has an exit strategy already been devised by the government? In short, questions of a completely different order than the ICT issue with which the government is currently struggling.

Paul van der Velpen studied journalism, sociology and business administration. He advised non-profit organizations in the field of social marketing and organizational change, published articles and books, taught trainee executives and was regularly asked as an interim manager. He has been involved in public health and prevention since 1995. First as director of the current GGD Hart voor Brabant, then from 2009 to July 2017 as director of GGD Amsterdam.

very amateurish

Meanwhile, it was announced that the source code of Covid19 Alert that has been put online, according to RTL Nieuws, contains old files. It contains almost two hundred full names, email addresses and encrypted passwords of users of another app to which the corona app is linked.

"We made the code public as soon as possible," said a spokesperson for Covid19 Alert. "In that process, we accidentally put this data online."

It is unclear how the data ended up in the source code of the corona app. "This is just very amateurish," said an expert to RTL, who wants to remain anonymous. He and other technicians look at the source code of the corona apps. "There is so much wrong with this app, I don't understand that it got through the selection." 

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Also read: Covid-19 brings Apple and Google together in mobility app

Paul van der Velpen - GGD
Hugo de Jonge
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