Google and contact tracing.

 Big brother is here folks. Google has now installed contact tracing technology on all Android devices. It's located under Settings in Google settings on all Android phones.

 You can read Google's explanation here. Basically, your phone will talk, through bluetooth connection, to all other phones within bluetooth range and record who you have been around. The phone will then check to see if any phones you have been in contact with have self reported a positive test to the app and notify you and your local public health office if you have been exposed. Sounds great, right? Nope. 

First, the problems in regards to coronavirus exposure. Here is a basic summary of bluetooth range.

	BLUETOOTH V2.1	BLUETOOTH 4.0 (LE)	BLUETOOTH 5 (LE)
Range	Up to 100 m	Up to 100 m	Up to 400 m
Max range (free field)	Around 100 m (class 2 outdoors)	Around 100 m (outdoors)	Around 1,000m (outdoors)
Frequency	2.402 – 2.481 GHz	2.402 – 2.481 GHz	2.402 - 2.481 GHz
Max data rate	1- 3 Mbit/s	1 Mbit/s	2 Mbit/s
Application Troughput	0.7-2.1 Mbit/s	Up to 305 kbit/s	Up to 1,360 kbit/s
Topologies	Point-to-point, scatternet	Point-to-point, mesh network	Point-to-point, mesh network
Network Standard	IEEE 802.15.1	IEEE 802.15.1	IEEE 802.15.1

 From my brief education on different types of bluetooth connections, v2.1 is the one most likely to be in your average cell phone. That puts the range at 100 meters or 328 feet. That's roughly 54 times the safe distance you need to be away from people to avoid contracting coronavirus. Theoretically, you could come up on a cell phone contact trace by walking across the street from a person who tested positive. This will lead to tests being used on people who have no reason to be tested, and I can tell you from experience, I don't want to get my brain stabbed if I don't have to. They also claim that your identity will never be revealed to anyone, including the public health office coordinating the data, ever. I don't believe that for a second. The list of things I trust more than the government consists of everything. One of the few absolutes I believe in is that the government will, no matter how good intentioned the idea is, manage to screw it up somehow. If you can tell me one thing the government has done since 1980 that they haven't screwed up I will be shocked. There is no possible way that there is a log with your phone number and everyone you been in contact with on it without there being a way to identify you. Also, they base their info on self reporting to the app if you have a positive test. So, if I was a mean person, I could spend 5 days driving around the state with this on, then tell the app I was positive and ruin a bunch of people's days. Nothing stopping fake reporting.

Second, the good side. The program is opt in only at this time. If you do not download the corresponding app from your local public health office there is no tracking. That is currently the only good thing about this.

Third, the big picture bad. The fact that Google has partnered with the government to install technology on your phone that enables them to track everyone you have been in contact with should scare you. I don't normally go off the deep end, but we are going to dive all in on it this time. Google, Snapchat, and multiple other apps have the ability to track your location. Now they have the ability to track who you have been around. This is beyond 1984 type shit. A brief hypothetical for your consideration. Step 1. Coronavirus cases surge in the fall. Step 2. Public gatherings of more than 10 people are banned. Step 3. Contact tracing by cell phone becomes mandatory. Step 4. You and the 20 other people that disagree with the government's decision to ban church are all arrested for attending a worship service based off data collected from Google maps and cell phone contact tracing. Alternate step 4. You and 15 family members gather to have a memorial service for your grandma that passed away in a backyard. You practice social distancing and wear masks, but are arrested based off cell phone data showing you had more than 10 people within 328 feet of each other. Alternate step 4. You live in a rural town with 0 coronavirus cases. Town has a council meeting to discuss proper response to coronavirus. You attend council meeting as a concerned citizen. State officials arrest all attendees based on cell phone tracking showing more than 10 people in one place.

I'm not saying that this is the end goal of Google to start arresting people based on contact tracing, but once the technology is present, it's a scary, slippery slope. Stay safe everyone, don't watch the news, and third blog of the night incoming shortly after this one posts. I might be a little angry today.