Dhole Moments

2020-05-08 12:01:49

Cryptographers around the world are still designing privacy-preserving contact tracing systems for combating the spread of COVID-19.

Even though some papers have been published (one using zero-knowledge proofs, another based on blockchain (sigh)), the ink is still very wet. The first framework designed by Apple and Google needs work but was surprisingly not god-awful.

That is to say: As of 2020-05-08, there is currently no implementation of privacy-preserving contact tracing available to the world. It might be coming soon, but it ain’t here yet.

But a quick search through the Google Play Store would surely lead you to believe otherwise.

What you see when you search “contact tracing” on the Google Play Store.

The first thing that leaps out is that there are two advertisements for things that are mostly irrelevant to contact tracing. Since “contact tracing” is a hot topic (and will only become increasingly hot when the real apps are ready to be deployed), it’s clear that there’s a profit incentive at work.

But with a little further study, we can see that this profit motive persists as we look down the list.
Ads and in-app purchases? That sure fits the “contact tracing” use case.You’re awfully SURE of yourself, aren’t ya?
The first one (an app named simply “Contact Tracing”) was first published in March 2020, so it was clearly created to capitalize on the pandemic.

The source code for their app (which was written in Cordova, and thus didn’t even require any effort reverse-engineering) contains a lot of references to a product named “Crypto Account Manager” by the same company.
In case anyone needs it, their contact information is apparently: Piusworks LLC. 969G Edgewater Blvd. #750. Foster City, CA 94404.
Ah yes, Cryptocurrency! That’s exactly what an Android user wanted when they search for “contact tracing”.

This is exactly the kind of disingenuous behavior you expect from the sorts of bottom-feeders that would capitalize on a pandemic for profit.

Worth noting: The CDC app at the bottom was legitimate, but their development team is clearly having a tough time.
I can relate to your struggles, CDC-employed app developers.
There’s probably a lot more to be found (if anyone wants to take the time). You might even find actual Android malware. (As far as I can tell, these apps are only trying to exploit humans, not machines, so I cannot classify them as malware.)

But what you won’t find is a privacy-preserving contact tracing app, so don’t look for it just yet.

Want to know when one is available? Follow me on Twitter for updates: @SoatokDhole.

Which Apps Aren’t Fraudulent?

The CDC app, which was originally created for Tuberculosis contact tracing, is legitimate (but not privacy-preserving in the way that cryptographers care about).

The TraceTogether app is the contact tracing app produced by the Singapore government.

The Takeaway

Just because it’s in the Google Play Store doesn’t mean it’s authentic or trustworthy. This should be common knowledge, but it never hurts to remind everyone.

That being said, I really wish Google would police its app store better.

I also wish they would forbid advertisements relating to national or global emergencies; i.e. COVID-19.

https://soatok.blog/2020/05/08/fraudulent-apps-on-the-google-play-store-covid-19-contact-tracing-edition/

#Android #contactTracing #COVID19 #Cybercrime #fraudulentApps #GooglePlay #GooglePlayStore #informationSecurity

Doc Edward Morbius (moved to Glasswings)

2021-04-20 19:01:35

COVID-19 -- April 2021 observations

I'm following (and commenting on) COVID-19 less closely and often these days, though the situation remains concerning. Some general observations:

Novel variations are increasing prevalent, and will likely continue to emerge. Add another argument to the denialists: the more that a virus spreads, the more it will mutate, and the more likely mutations will have significant impacts on further transmission or course. Several current mutations are 1) now the dominant strains in many regions, 2) transmit far more effectively, 3) have more severe symptoms, and 4) affect different population segments (notably the young). Until COVID-19 is largely controlled such variants will likely continue to emerge and spread. Any more-transmissable variants tend to become more prevalent in areas, and many regions of rapid current spread seem to be based on such mutations.

India is experiencing what appears to be completely uncontrolled spread. The number of new cases is doubling every 8-10 days, characteristic of early COVID's unconstrained growth rate, and is likely the maximum rate of spread for the disease. (One desperately hopes.) The US saw a new daily case report peak of 307,000 on January 8, 2021, likely compounded by holiday and testing delays, though the growth was already clearly plateauing and the 7-day average peaked a few days later at "only" 255,000. India yesterday reported 275,000 cases, and is still climbing rapidly. It will peak well above the top US rate, reaching 550,000 cases/day within 10 days, and over 1,000,000/day within 15--20, at present rates of growth. (That conditional isn't a minor one, rates of growth can and have changed rapidly before, including in India's last growth surge during August--September 2010.)

Brazil's situation remains bad, though growth has leveled off. It's simply not declining, as forecasts have long suggested it would. Turkey has also seen rapid and uncontrolled growth.

Vaccinations are increasingly available in the US and Europe. Throughout the US, eligibility extends to all above 50 years, or in some cases above 16 years. (Children and infants are less susceptible to severe COVID-19, and vaccine safety and efficacy haven't been thoroughly assessed, though suitability seesm likely.) Given the very limited shelf-life of vaccine, registered candidates may receive short notice, as little as 15--30 minutes, of availability, typically late in the day (after 4pm local time). BE READY TO MOVE IF CONTACTED. Once you've had your first shot, you'll be automatically enrolled in a 2nd-shot follow-up 14--21 days later. If you've not already registered for a vaccine, do so now. Typically your healthcare provider, local government (city or county), drugstores (both CVS and Wallgreens in the US), and perhaps other providers are available. There is no charge for the vaccine within the US.

Vaccine availability outside these regions remains low. This is problematic, and it's quite likely we'll be living with COVID conditions and limitations for years. At least one more year, and quite possibly more. Poorer nations are getting the blunt end of this.

Regions which have weathered COVID-19 well are starting to show vulnerability, notably in east and southeast Asia. Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam have seen case spikes. Some of these are transient, and are amplified due to the low case floor. Some are not. Unfortunately, continued vigelance is essential, and idiots claiming that "emergencies don't last years" or similar bullshit are quite literally costing lives.

Some mitigation guidelines are being relaxed, some aren't. Wearing masks and minimising social contacts remain highly advisible. The risks from surface-based transmission appear slight, though these are also readily mitigated by simple and cheap measures (e.g., alcohol sanitiser). Science is a process of evolving understanding as best supported by evidence. The change is actually a sign the process is working as intended. Again, idiots like to claim otherewise. They are wrong, and they are killing people.

Reporting sites are changing their focus, some are being discontinued. As the pandemic evolves, some early measures (e.g., R~0~ or R~t~) are less applicable. Short-term measures (daily rates) tend to obscure more than they reveal, and some sites have moved to emphasizing weekly rates. Population-relative ratios are also more useful than raw counts. Again, with time anad understanding the sense of whiich metrics make most sense evolves. You may find your bookmarked links (or mine) are no longer being updated. I continue to rely principally on Worldometers.

Even once vaccinated, additional protections will be necessary for your own and others' safety. Vacination isn't total proof against COVID-19 (the best vaccines seem to be about 95% effective, so there's a 1:20 chance of contracting the disease), though severity of the disease if fully vaccinated is vastly lower. It may still be possible to transmit COVID-19 to others, so if you're living or interacting with those who are not (or can not be) vaccinated, there's that risk. And mutations may be able to "break through" the vaccine, compounded by a weakening long-term immunity. Long-term we'll likely have COVID-19 booster vaccines at least for a few years.

**After the ongoing train-wreck of the previous administration's incompetence, the Biden Administration seems to be addressing both public health and economic concerns of the pandemic with vastly greater effectiveness.* One hopes that trust in institutions can be both restored and sustained over the long term. The US political situation remains a very-barely-contained shitshow, though at least the far more able party are in control, at the Federal level, for now.

In the US, there's a general expectation of far more permissable activity by June. This won't be a full return to normalcy, but many activities which have been entirely restricted should be at least possible. But this is going to be a slog. Predictions of full vaccination vary and change, though "late summer" seems to be the general concensus.

Numerous of my worse fears, and higher hopes, have not materialised. Predition is hard, especially about the future. And where humans are involved. But this thing will be with us for a while, though the picture should be generally brightening.

#covid19

Theodotos Andreou

2020-04-01 15:05:33

Disroot Covid19-Kit

So, looks like the world went totally crazy the last weeks. Our cities feel more like ghost towns and we are all trying to avoid contact with others to stop the spread of the virus. While all this chaos is going on, we sadly start giving up our online liberties to the tech giants. Our kids are now forced into Google classroom, and we are forced to use tools like MS-Teams, Zooms, Slacks, Discord and all. It looks as if we all have sign off our virtual lives away in fear and panic. What's worse is that the same fate can soon happen to our IRL (in real life). We need to keep things in check. We are launching Covid19 Kit to help and provide services to those that seek alternatives and don't want to get caught trapped inside the walled gardens. We decided to throw in some extra services that do not require account creation into the mix. Hopefully we will continue to improve the new experimental services (Mumble and Cryptpad) as well as add new services as we go based on your feedback and requirements. You can find the Covid19 Kit page here: https://disroot.org/covid19. Of course the registrations and all other services continue to work as usual.

https://disroot.org/en/blog/covid19-kit

#internet #freedom #digitalrights #privacy #covid19 #coronavirus #disroot