NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Apple and Google should make sure the COVID-19 contact-tracing apps on their platforms don’t collect and keep users’ private information, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday.
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James on Monday sent letters to both companies asking them to ensure that third-party contact tracing apps available through the App Store and the Play Store “do not inappropriately collect and retain users’ sensitive information," her office said in a release.
“As businesses open back up and Americans venture outdoors, technology can be an invaluable tool in helping us battle the coronavirus,” she said in a statement. “But some companies may seek to take advantage of consumers and use personal information to advertise, mine data and unethically profit off this pandemic."
“Both Apple and Google can be invaluable partners in weeding out these bad actors and ensuring consumers are not taken advantage of by those seeking to capitalize on the fear around this public health crisis,” she added.
Third-party contact tracing apps “are not subject to the same requirements as apps affiliated with governmental public health agencies,” James’ office said in a release.
James asked Google and Apple to keep apps that aren’t affiliated with federal or state public health agencies from collecting personal health information, including COVID-19 test results.
Third-party contact tracing apps should not be allowed to collect and use personal information for targeted advertising, she said.
They should also be prohibited from “using data to identify anonymous users,” she added.