국내 연구진, 사생활 침해 없애고 더 똑똑해진 '동선 앱' 개발

South Korean health authorities have been praised for their transparency over COVID-19 infection routes and locations.
Much of the information is spread online in an instant.
However, due to concerns that people's privacy is being encroached upon, researchers have developed a new method.
Choi Won-jong has the details.
South Korean researchers have taken it upon themselves to develop a new COVID-19 tracking system.
KAIST, one of the country's top science and engineering universities, has developed a new, but discreet smartphone app that inform users about the various routes taken by COVID-19 patients.
Using the app, citizens can easily and quickly avoid or move away from certain locations.
This is how the app works.
If a person stays for more than 20 minutes at a distance of 2 to 3 meters from a COVID-19 patient, 50 points will be added out of a maximum of 100, and the score goes up if the person gets even closer.
People can know whether they've been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient by simply looking at the score on their phone.
This avoids people spreading the names of certain businesses that might've been exposed to an infected patient.
This app uses signals from smartphones such as GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and is able to confirm contact tracing routes, even inside buildings, but it doesn't show the user the location of where the contact may have happened.
"Exposure to infectious diseases usually occurs indoors. Using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or inertia sensory signals, we can more accurately and quickly work out what's happening inside."
The researchers will keep developing the app and discuss it with health authorities for possible future widespread use in this age of COVID-19.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.