<s>
COVIDSafe	B-Application
was	O
a	O
digital	B-Protocol
contact	I-Protocol
tracing	I-Protocol
app	O
released	O
by	O
the	O
Australian	O
Government	O
on	O
26	O
April	O
2020	O
to	O
help	O
combat	O
the	O
ongoing	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
this	O
,	O
it	O
used	O
the	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
and	O
Herald	O
protocol	O
,	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Singaporean	O
Government	O
and	O
VMWare	O
respectively	O
,	O
to	O
passively	O
collect	O
an	O
anonymised	O
registry	O
of	O
near	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
COVIDSafe	B-Application
first	O
began	O
development	O
in	O
late	O
March	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
Morrison	O
government	O
showed	O
interest	O
in	O
Singapore	O
's	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
was	O
publicly	O
announced	O
on	O
14	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
it	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
within	O
a	O
fortnight	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
had	O
a	O
budget	O
of	O
over	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
went	O
to	O
Amazon	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Services	I-Application
(	O
AWS	B-Application
)	O
for	O
hosting	O
,	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
many	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
unclear	O
if	O
the	O
app	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
Coronavirus	B-Application
Australia	I-Application
app	O
or	O
completely	O
separate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adding	O
to	O
the	O
confusion	O
,	O
many	O
news	O
reports	O
used	O
images	O
of	O
Coronavirus	B-Application
Australia	I-Application
in	O
their	O
articles	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
website	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
Coronavirus	B-Application
Australia	I-Application
apps	O
for	O
a	O
short	O
time	O
after	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
24	O
hours	O
of	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
's	O
release	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
downloaded	O
by	O
over	O
a	O
million	O
people	O
,	O
and	O
within	O
48	O
hours	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concurrently	O
,	O
the	O
Google/Apple	O
exposure	B-Application
notification	I-Application
framework	I-Application
began	O
rolling	O
out	O
to	O
users	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Italian	O
Immuni	B-Application
being	O
the	O
first	O
app	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
June	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
"	O
second	O
wave	O
"	O
in	O
Victoria	O
sparked	O
by	O
family	O
gatherings	O
,	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
data	O
was	O
accessed	O
by	O
contact	O
tracers	O
over	O
90	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Delv	O
was	O
engaged	O
after	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
to	O
assist	O
with	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
primary	O
developer	O
of	O
the	O
Coronavirus	B-Application
Australia	I-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
22	O
July	O
2020	O
Sky	O
News	O
interview	O
,	O
Minister	O
for	O
Government	O
Services	O
Stewart	O
Robert	O
blamed	O
the	O
failure	O
of	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
on	O
the	O
unwillingness	O
of	O
Apple	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
modify	O
their	O
existing	O
,	O
globally	O
deployed	O
,	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
framework	I-Application
(	O
ENF	O
)	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ENF	O
is	O
an	O
alternative	O
,	O
entirely	O
incompatible	O
,	O
digital	B-Protocol
contact	I-Protocol
tracing	I-Protocol
protocol	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
reliable	O
at	O
detecting	O
contact	O
traces	O
than	O
competing	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
app	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
framework	B-Architecture
,	O
either	O
the	O
framework	B-Architecture
or	O
app	O
would	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
almost	O
completely	O
rewritten	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
26	O
February	O
2021	O
that	O
the	O
app	O
had	O
been	O
updated	O
to	O
feature	O
state	O
and	O
territory	O
restrictions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
improving	O
battery	O
consumption	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
ongoing	O
technical	O
problems	O
surrounding	O
the	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
app	O
,	O
the	O
Victorian	O
government	O
developed	O
the	O
Service	O
Victoria	O
QR	O
Code	O
app	O
to	O
augment	O
tracing	O
efforts	O
within	O
the	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
16	O
August	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
incumbent	O
Albanese	O
Government	O
decommissioned	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
shutting	O
down	O
remaining	O
infrastructure	O
and	O
removing	O
it	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Play	O
and	O
the	O
Apple	O
App	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
protocol	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Singaporean	O
Government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
contact	O
tracing	O
mechanism	O
is	O
executed	O
locally	O
on	O
an	O
individual	O
's	O
device	O
using	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
,	O
storing	O
all	O
encounters	O
in	O
a	O
contact	O
history	O
log	O
chronicling	O
contact	O
for	O
the	O
past	O
21	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
in	O
contact	O
logs	O
are	O
identified	O
using	O
anonymous	O
time-shifting	O
"	O
temporary	O
IDs	O
"	O
issued	O
by	O
a	O
central	O
Department	O
of	O
Health	O
(	O
DoH	O
)	O
server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
consent	O
is	O
given	O
,	O
the	O
logs	O
are	O
transmitted	O
to	O
a	O
central	O
server	B-Application
where	O
temporary	O
IDs	O
are	O
matched	O
with	O
contact	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
's	O
employment	O
of	O
a	O
centralised	O
reporting	O
architecture	O
has	O
created	O
concerns	O
over	O
its	O
privacy	O
implications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
a	O
centralised	O
report	O
processing	O
protocol	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
must	O
upload	O
their	O
entire	O
contact	O
log	O
to	O
a	O
health	O
authority	O
administered	O
server	B-Application
,	O
where	O
the	O
health	O
authority	O
is	O
then	O
responsible	O
for	O
matching	O
the	O
log	O
entries	O
to	O
contact	O
details	O
,	O
ascertaining	O
potential	O
contact	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
warning	O
users	O
of	O
potential	O
contact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
the	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
framework	I-Application
and	O
other	O
decentralised	O
reporting	O
protocols	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
having	O
a	O
central	O
reporting	O
server	B-Application
,	O
delegate	O
the	O
responsibility	O
of	O
processing	O
logs	O
to	O
clients	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
6	O
May	O
2020	O
Senate	O
Select	O
Committee	O
public	O
hearing	O
on	O
COVID-19	O
and	O
the	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
app	O
,	O
the	O
Digital	O
Transformation	O
Agency	O
(	O
DTA	O
)	O
announced	O
they	O
were	O
looking	O
into	O
transitioning	O
the	O
protocol	O
from	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
and	O
Apple	O
developed	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
framework	I-Application
(	O
ENF	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
change	O
was	O
proposed	O
to	O
resolve	O
the	O
outstanding	O
issues	O
related	O
to	O
performance	O
of	O
third-party	O
protocols	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
,	O
the	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
frameworks	O
runs	O
at	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
level	O
with	O
special	O
privileges	O
not	O
available	O
to	O
any	O
third-party	O
frameworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
adoption	O
of	O
the	O
framework	B-Architecture
is	O
endorsed	O
by	O
multiple	O
technology	O
experts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Transitioning	O
from	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
to	O
ENF	O
presented	O
several	O
issues	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
that	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
app	O
cannot	O
run	O
both	O
protocols	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
any	O
protocol	O
change	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
hard	O
cut	O
between	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
protocols	O
are	O
almost	O
completely	O
incompatible	O
,	O
meaning	O
the	O
vast	O
majority	O
-	O
all	O
but	O
the	O
UI	B-Application
-	O
of	O
the	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
app	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
redeveloped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
change	O
from	O
a	O
centralised	O
reporting	O
mechanism	O
to	O
a	O
decentralised	O
one	O
,	O
very	O
little	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
server	B-Application
software	I-Application
would	O
be	O
usable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
until	O
at	O
least	O
18	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
DTA	O
was	O
experimenting	O
with	O
ENF	O
,	O
however	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
The	O
Project	O
held	O
on	O
28	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
Deputy	O
Chief	O
Medical	O
Officer	O
Dr	O
Nick	O
Coatsworth	O
stated	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
would	O
"	O
absolutely	O
not	O
"	O
transition	O
to	O
ENF	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
1.0	O
and	O
1.1	O
of	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
did	O
not	O
scan	O
for	O
other	O
devices	O
when	O
the	O
application	O
was	O
placed	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
far	O
fewer	O
recorded	O
contacts	O
than	O
was	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
until	O
the	O
18	O
June	O
2020	O
update	O
,	O
a	O
bug	O
existed	O
where	O
locked	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
fetch	O
new	O
temporary	O
IDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
all	O
third-party	O
digital	B-Protocol
contact	I-Protocol
tracing	I-Protocol
protocols	O
experience	O
degraded	O
performance	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
particularly	O
when	O
the	O
device	O
is	O
locked	O
or	O
the	O
app	O
is	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
foreground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
characteristic	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
stemming	O
from	O
how	O
iOS	B-Application
manages	O
its	O
battery	O
life	O
and	O
resource	O
priority	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
does	O
not	O
experience	O
these	O
issues	O
because	O
Android	B-Application
is	O
more	O
permissive	O
with	O
background	O
services	O
and	O
the	O
app	O
can	O
request	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
disable	O
battery	O
optimisation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
COVIDSafe	B-Application
requires	O
an	O
Australia	O
mobile	O
number	O
to	O
register	O
,	O
meaning	O
foreigners	O
in	O
Australia	O
need	O
a	O
local	O
SIM	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
several	O
privacy	O
watchdogs	O
raised	O
concerns	O
over	O
the	O
data	O
collected	O
by	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
the	O
centralised	O
reporting	O
server	B-Application
to	O
become	O
a	O
target	O
for	O
hackers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
was	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
source	B-License
available	I-License
to	O
allow	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
audited	O
and	O
analysed	O
by	O
the	O
public	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
delayed	O
until	O
a	O
review	O
by	O
the	O
Australian	O
Signals	O
Directorate	O
had	O
been	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Issue	O
was	O
also	O
taken	O
with	O
the	O
fact	O
the	O
backend	B-Architecture
of	O
the	O
app	O
runs	O
on	O
the	O
Amazon	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Services	I-Application
(	O
AWS	B-Application
)	O
platform	O
,	O
meaning	O
the	O
US	O
Government	O
could	O
potentially	O
seize	O
the	O
data	O
of	O
Australian	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
is	O
currently	O
stored	O
within	O
Australia	O
in	O
the	O
AWS	B-Application
Sydney	O
region	O
data	O
centre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
public	O
hearing	O
on	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
,	O
Randall	O
Brugeaud	O
,	O
CEO	O
of	O
the	O
Digital	O
Transformation	O
Agency	O
,	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
use	O
AWS	B-Application
over	O
purely	O
Australian	O
owned	O
cloud	O
providers	O
was	O
done	O
on	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
familiarity	O
,	O
scalability	O
,	O
and	O
resource	O
availability	O
within	O
AWS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AWS	B-Application
contract	O
was	O
also	O
drawn	O
from	O
a	O
whole	O
of	O
government	O
arrangement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
global	O
rollout	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
and	O
Apple	O
developed	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
Framework	I-Application
(	O
ENF	O
)	O
in	O
late	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
public	O
concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
that	O
the	O
government	O
or	O
the	O
companies	O
were	O
tracking	O
users	O
without	O
their	O
knowledge	O
or	O
consent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
claims	O
are	O
false	O
,	O
as	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
and	O
ENF	O
are	O
completely	O
incompatible	O
,	O
and	O
ENF	O
is	O
disabled	O
until	O
a	O
compatible	O
app	O
is	O
installed	O
and	O
explicit	O
user	O
consent	O
is	O
given	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Australia	O
's	O
Inspector-General	O
of	O
Intelligence	O
and	O
Security	O
reported	O
that	O
several	O
of	O
Australia	O
's	O
intelligence	O
and	O
security	O
agencies	O
collected	O
data	O
from	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
in	O
its	O
first	O
months	O
of	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
29	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
independent	O
security	O
researchers	O
including	O
Troy	O
Hunt	O
,	O
Kate	O
Carruthers	O
,	O
Matthew	O
Robbins	O
,	O
and	O
Geoffrey	O
Huntley	O
released	O
an	O
informal	O
report	O
raising	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
issues	O
discovered	O
in	O
the	O
decompiled	B-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
issue	O
was	O
located	O
in	O
,	O
the	O
class	O
responsible	O
for	O
advertising	O
to	O
other	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
issue	O
was	O
resolved	O
in	O
OpenTrace	O
,	O
yet	O
was	O
unfixed	O
in	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
until	O
the	O
2020-05-13	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Biosecurity	O
Determination	O
2020	O
,	O
made	O
with	O
the	O
authority	O
of	O
the	O
Biosecurity	O
Act	O
2015	O
,	O
governs	O
how	O
data	O
collected	O
by	O
the	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
app	O
is	O
stored	O
,	O
submitted	O
,	O
and	O
processed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
determination	O
and	O
bill	O
makes	O
it	O
illegal	O
for	O
anyone	O
to	O
access	O
COVIDSafe	B-Application
app	O
data	O
without	O
both	O
the	O
consent	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
owner	O
and	O
being	O
an	O
employee	O
or	O
contractor	O
of	O
a	O
state	O
or	O
territory	O
health	O
authority	O
.	O
</s>
