Huawei has launched its own API to track the COVID-19 virus. While Apple and Google cover the majority of phones in the world, there are still users whose mobiles do not have access to the services of Google or Apple. This is why Huawei has been working on its own API, HMS Core Contact Shield.
Some of Huawei’s recent smartphones do not include Google’s services and applications, due to the blockade that the United States Government has established between Huawei and US companies. Due to this, Huawei has strived to offer a complete and similar service to that of Apple and Google for its mobiles, including a new API to fight against COVID-19.
Contact Shield APIs can help governments develop COVID-19 contact tracing apps. After being authorized by a user, such an app can anonymously record the recent contacts for the user. If any contacted person is tested positive for COVID-19, the user can be informed based on the recorded information. Then proper measures can be taken to effectively control the spread of the virus.
HMS Core Contact Shield is a basic contact tracing service developed based on the Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology. Government organizations can authorize developers to develop COVID-19 contact tracing apps using the Contact Shield APIs.
These apps can interact with other devices while protecting user privacy to check whether a user has been in contact with a person tested positive for COVID-19. If so, the user will be notified and instructed to take relevant measures, effectively controlling the spread of the virus.
HMS Core Contact Shield does not run if a user has not installed any app that uses Contact Shield APIs. If a user uses such an app, HMS Core Contact Shield also keeps user privacy secure.
The following measures are taken to protect user privacy:
- Users can determine whether to enable Contact Shield, whether to upload anonymous identifiers to the cloud, and whether to obtain diagnosis results by themselves.
- The Contact Shield SDK does not collect any personal data. It only uses dynamically generated anonymous IDs to identity users and does not use any privacy information such as user locations and phone numbers. In addition, anonymous IDs on the cloud can be stored only for a limited period (14 days).
- After a user uninstalls an app using Contact Shield APIs, the user’s historical data stored on the device will be deleted. A user can also manually delete all historical data.
- Only developers authorized by governments and strictly assessed by Huawei can use Contact Shield APIs to develop apps.
- Huawei will sign an additional service agreement stating the user privacy protection requirements with eligible developers who want to use Contact Shield APIs.
Contact Shield APIs provide services via apps. End users cannot directly call these APIs.
If you are a Huawei device user, to use the Contact Shield service, you need to install a contact tracing app that is released by the government and calls Contact Shield APIs.
If you are an app developer, to use the Contact Shield service, you need to submit a formal document proving that the government has authorized your app to use Contact Shield APIs to Huawei for review.
Huawei only allows developers authorized by governments to use Contact Shield APIs to develop contact tracing apps. Unless a government requires that contacts be traced by region, each country/region can have only one app that uses Contact Shield APIs.
Huawei devices running HMS Core (APK) 4.1 or later support Contact Shield APIs. If a user whose HMS Core (APK) version does not meet this requirement uses an app developed based on Contact Shield APIs, the app will instruct the user to install the HMS Core (APK) of the latest version.
