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By Isla Binnie
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MADRID (Reuters) – Spain will trial a new smartphone app aimed at helping to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus on one of the Canary Islands, authorities said on Wednesday.
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Europe\\\’s latest scheme using Bluetooth technology to log contacts between people and send a warning if any of them test positive for the virus will start in late June on La Gomera, near tourist hot spot Tenerife.
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“The aim is to explore the potential of this mobile tracing application in a real-life scenario,” the archipelago\\\’s government said in a statement, adding the results will be used to decide whether to roll out the app nationwide.
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Local authorities have committed to promoting widespread take-up to improve the reliability of the trial\\\’s findings, the statement said. Germany\\\’s national app was downloaded 6.5 million times in the 24 hours after its launch.
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Spain follows several countries – led by Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland and Latvia – in opting to use Bluetooth short-range radio, rather than risk invading people\\\’s privacy by using location data.
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To guard further against intrusion, contacts between users will be stored on individual devices, rather than passing through a central server.
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Spain has worked with a standard developed by Apple and Alphabet Inc\\\’s Google – whose systems run a combined 99% of the world\\\’s smartphones – to log them securely.
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With some 12% of its economy stemming from tourism, Spain is keen for apps developed by different countries to be able to communicate smoothly with each other.
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Home to around 22,000 people, La Gomera is one of the smallest islands in a grouping that is popular with holidaymakers from countries including Germany and Britain.
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“La Gomera was chosen because it is a place where the local population and tourists converge,” the statement said.
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After a rigid lockdown to stem one of Europe\\\’s worst outbreaks, Spain has reported a steadily slowing infection rate, and this week started a controlled tourism scheme for another sun-soaked island region, around Mallorca.
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(Reporting by Isla Binnie; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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