Original article (in Serbian) was published on 21/12/2021
“While we were all sleeping, the Covid-19 exposure application was installed on our phones, and it cannot be deleted”, states the text and video of the site called Fight for the truth (Borba za istinu).
Google’s notification service for tracking Covid-19, to which this warning refers, was activated in May 2020. However, it did not appear out of nowhere: it was announced and explained weeks before it was activated. And no less important – it is not even available in Serbia.
“Covid-19 does not exist anywhere except in the false results of false tests, the sick imagination of Satanists and those poor people who watch TV. Stand up Serb, stand up hero, stand up man, and get rid of the occupiers”, states the published video, which is no longer available on YouTube, because it was reported for violating the guidelines of this platform.
Based on the information about the service mentioned in the video, it seems that it does not play such a big role in the apocalyptic creation of the “new world order”, as the site Fight for the truth insinuates.
What is it about?
Google and Apple developed this notification feature in 2020, and the user can turn it on if he/she wants (active status is not implied). Google explains it in the following way: to use the system, you need to download the official application of the state public health institution in your region or enable it directly in the Device Settings if it is supported in your region.
Therefore, the use of this service also depends on whether the state institution that collects data on Covid-19 has its own application and whether the state wants to participate in this system. Serbia is currently not on the list of countries where this service is available.
When the system is turned on, it uses Bluetooth to find out if you have come in contact with someone who has Covid-19. According to Google’s notice, “you control whether you will receive exposure notifications and decide whether and when to share data. If you have Covid-19, you can choose to share random IDs to let others know about possible exposures”.
Random IDs are used to protect privacy, and it is essential to note that this system does not use location tracking. As Google’s data protection system explains: only you and the public health institution know whether you have reported having Covid-19 or have been exposed to someone who has reported Covid-19. Your identity is never shared with other users, Apple or Google.