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Written by: Golden Chess
2020-08-31 14:08
Last update date: 2020-08-31 14:32The third wave of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Hong Kong continues, and cases of unknown origin still account for a certain proportion. Hong Kong Baptist University announced that it has successfully developed a new coronavirus risk warning system. If users have been in the same place visited by a confirmed person, and the time difference between the two visits is within the scope of risk, the system will pass The mobile app issued an alert. The R&D team emphasized that the system does not collect personal information and location data, and all contact information is only stored in the personal mobile phone, which can effectively protect privacy.
The HKBU plans to pilot the risk warning system on campus in the new semester to strengthen the warning against the virus in campus venues and classrooms, meetings and examinations. All teachers, students and employees can participate voluntarily. HKBU emphasizes that it will not be forced Students use the system before they go to class.
In addition, the Hong Kong government had invited tenders from different agencies earlier to find contractors to develop a "virus notification" system and application. When asked whether the HKBU has tendered any bids, HKBU Vice President (Research and Development) Guo Yi could point out that the government does not include universities in the bidding, but the HKBU has communicated with the authorities and is willing to cooperate with the winning company.
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Xu Jianliang, associate dean and professor of the Department of Computer Science at HKBU, one of the research teams, pointed out that traditional manual tracking is inefficient. The parties only provide information on close contacts from memory, and contacting close contacts is also time-consuming. Therefore, HKBU has developed a risk warning system "BUTrace", hoping to effectively identify close contacts. Users only need to download the mobile app to start using.
The system supports two anonymous operation modes. One is the "venue to person" mode. Users only need to scan the QR code of the venue with their mobile phone before entering the venue. If a user is diagnosed, the user will be issued a password. After logging in to the system, the venue and visit time of the user in the past 14 days will be instantly transmitted to all other users' mobile phones. If a user has appeared on the same occasion as the confirmed person, the system will automatically issue a risk warning through the user's mobile phone, so that they can take corresponding measures in time, such as conducting a virus test.
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The other mode is the "person-to-person" warning mode. The system uses Bluetooth low energy wireless communication technology. If two users stay together for a period of time within a distance of two meters, the mobile phones of both parties will exchange each other's anonymous codes via Bluetooth and save them in their respective mobile phone databases. Once a user is diagnosed in the future, other users’ mobile phones will receive the codes sent by the sick user’s mobile phone in the past two weeks. The system compares the codes stored in the mobile phone database to assess exposure risks and issue warnings. However, due to technical limitations, it is still being tested.
Xu Jianliang emphasized that the "decentralised" design is adopted, that is, information such as visited venues will only be kept on the user's mobile phone and will not be uploaded to the cloud. The data will only be uploaded after the user is diagnosed, and the data and the system will also be encrypted.
In addition, the system does not collect any personal data of users, and has a mechanism to prevent users from misreporting as contacts. Xu believes that compared to the "centralized" design adopted in other regions, such as the health code in the Mainland and the "SafeEntry" in Singapore, this system is more effective in protecting privacy.
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When asked whether the system is effective with a large number of participants, Guo Yi can agree, but he said that even if the confirmed person does not use the system, the team can ask about his whereabouts and notify other users with his consent. However, he admits that if the confirmed users do not report, the expected results will not be achieved, but he believes that "the possibility of not reporting is low, and no one will benefit."
Regarding whether he participated in government bidding, Guo Yi could respond that the government bidding does not include universities, but he agrees that the technical direction is the same and he is willing to contribute technology to the government. He also said that the HKBU will focus on online teaching after the start of school, but it will continue to adjust its strategy. In the new semester, the risk warning system will also be piloted on campus. In the first phase, QR Code will be installed outside the dining halls, classrooms and meeting rooms.
Hong Kong Baptist University announced that it has successfully developed a new coronavirus risk warning system. (Profile picture)
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