Senate majority for corona app in sight, worried about test shortage | NOW

A majority in the Senate has signed off for the Temporary Act on notification application COVID-19, better known as the corona app. In addition to coalition parties VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie, GroenLinks, PvdA, SP and SGP also spoke positively in favor of the national introduction of the CoronaMelder, although there is still some criticism.

This became clear on Monday during the legislative procedure in the Senate.

The app must ensure that users of the CoronaMelder who have been within 1.5 meters of a positive tested person for 15 minutes or longer, receive a notification on their phone. The app will not become mandatory and should serve as a supplement to the existing corona rules. “It is a tool, not a panacea,” said Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health).

Coronamelder is ‘a stupid app’

The minister described the CoronaMelder as a “stupid app”. “It doesn’t know who you are and where you’ve been.” What the app does is exchange anonymous codes among users, he assured.

De Jonge responded to questions from senators who are concerned about privacy safeguards. Recently encountered researchers on a possibility in the app that would allow the GGD to check whether an infected person would actually use the app to warn close contacts.

According to the minister, this was a position that was removed during the trial. He understands concerns about privacy sensitivities. The much talked about ‘appathonannounced in April drew strong criticism from privacy experts. “That is why we have had our own team build the app in complete transparency,” says De Jonge.

He does not rule out future problems with the app. With so-called bug bounty’s the cabinet invites critics to track down errors. “If you discover a technical error in the app, we will reward you”, says De Jonge. The form of the reward is not yet known.

‘Urge and coercion’ during installation are prohibited

De Jonge emphasized several times that the installation of the app must be entirely voluntary. “That has to do with confidence,” said the minister. “Force and coercion are forbidden.” For example, an employer may not oblige an employee to install the app. In fact, asking whether an employee has installed the app goes too far as far as the minister is concerned. The cabinet will also not ask people to install the app in campaigns, but a “moral appeal” will be made.

The PVV group fears that the voluntary nature of the app will eventually be replaced by a duty. That is what Minister De Jonge did not intend. If the cabinet intends to make the app mandatory, the law must be amended and approved again by parliament. Other parties are concerned that the app is getting people used to a “surveillance state”.

Senate fears support for app with current test shortage

The biggest criticism of the app focused on the ability to test you after a report. Due to the limited test capacity and staff shortages at the GGD, it is currently recommended to only have yourself tested in case of complaints.

“Even without complaints, people should be able to get tested,” said D66 senator Annelien Bredenoord. SP senator Arda Gerkens: “The app is useless if it is not possible to test when a report is made.” The PvdA, CDA and GroenLinks fear that the support for the CoronaMelder will decline if users of the app who have no complaints, but have received a report, cannot have themselves tested.

The government also prefers that everyone can test themselves, but according to Minister De Jonge that does not detract from the purpose of the app; this is supporting the source and contact investigation and informing users whether they have been in contact with an infected person. “Can people falsely end up at home after a report? Yes, that also happens with source and contact research. That’s the only way to do it.”

In the meantime, the cabinet is working on scaling up the testing and tracing capacity and the development of rapid tests can eventually solve the Dutch testing problem. Until then, the government will stick to the guideline to only test for complaints. Minister De Jonge therefore does not expect that the national introduction of the corona app will lead to more tests. “We do get a more complete overview.”

The Senate will vote on the law on Tuesday afternoon.

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