Immune, 4 million downloads. Pisano: "It is already an excellent result".

“We have reached 4 million downloads, to be in Italy it is an excellent result. It will slowly catch on, the downloads are continuous ”. A little over a month after Immuni experimented (the App for the notification of exposure to the risk of contagion from Covid-19), the Minister for Technological Innovation and Digitization, Paola Pisano, draws a first positive balance of the 'initiative. The occasion is the #piudiprima talk about Innovation - the communication campaign that the National Youth Agency is carrying out for the Minister of Youth Policy and Sport with the support of Google and YouTube - during which the Minister she dealt with the communities of Skuola.net and youtuber and techno-influencer Andrea Galeazzi.
Minister Pisano underlined above all how, from a technical point of view, the challenge can already be said to have been overcome: “We are satisfied - he continues - with the technological development and regulatory framework that we have built around the application. We took care of privacy: sensitive data are not exchanged but only alphanumeric codes, keeping them on a private cloud of the PA A free, voluntary, non-geolocalizing application, with an open source code available to the whole community, a rare thing " . If anything, the problem is broader: “Certainly communication must be strengthened and improved - continues the Minister - like any innovation that is introduced into the area; we must underline the attention paid to protecting the privacy and security of the citizen, to create a new relationship of trust ".
Speaking to students, it is inevitable not to talk about the Net, which is fundamental to guaranteeing the keeping of distance teaching if it is necessary to use it in the future. “We have a very ambitious project which is to bring the ultra-wide band across the country. To date, we have unlocked funds for 1.5 billion, of which 400 million for school connectivity and to help families who cannot afford to purchase devices or pay internet subscriptions. Problems that we started to face with the Digital Solidarity project, which during the lockdown involved private individuals to donate their digital services to all citizens for free to continue doing what they did before ”. Even if, first, there is a need to fight prejudice on the latest generation technologies, such as 5G: “In order to consider the opportunities it can give us, we need to be well informed. Let us not think only of connectivity but of the services that 5G can introduce in our country, increasing its competitiveness. Obviously by evaluating the safety of the infrastructures and the protection of citizens' health. Independent studies have currently found no effects on the health of the population. "
The digital divide is another concern at the top of the list: “There are two ways to combat it: to create services that can be easily used by everyone and, in parallel, to create jobs for engineers and developers. The more professional opportunities in these sectors increase, the higher the presence of young people specialized in Stem disciplines (including women). As a result, new digital services can be introduced into the citizen's daily life, improving the system ”.
Speaking of digital services, Minister Pisano's gaze is turned forward, without forgetting how much good was done during the lockdown, a period during which the leading department was undoubtedly the protagonist. The next big challenge is related to the other application launched in recent months: IO, a sort of hub for Public Administration services. “We launched this App in April, in the midst of a pandemic - underlines the Minister - to ensure that citizens had a single channel in which to find all the digital services of the PA. Through the 'Simplification Decree' we strengthened the message, introducing some rules that they require that by February 28th all PA services must move to the IO application, becoming accessible with SPID digital credentials ".
Finally, a hint to another key theme of this period: smart working. That has also triggered the phenomenon of the so-called 'south working', people who have returned to their regions of origin - especially in the South - who continue to work for their companies but in an environment more familiar to them: "It is a phenomenon that arises worldwide by freelance workers, with the lockdown it has also arrived in Italy. Interesting - according to the Minister - because it gives more opportunities to those who do not want or cannot move. I believe, however, some activities still require human presence. " In short, the work behind a screen - to date - cannot completely replace that 'elbow to elbow'. But it is not said that in the future this state of affairs cannot evolve, proceeding with a reorganization of work, no longer divided by activity but focused on the objective: “Behind smart working there is not only a computer or a connection. A new way of communicating is required. We must ensure that people located in the area have the right information as soon as possible, as well as the necessary technological tools ".