27 Aug SwissCovid

SwissCovid is the official contact tracing app of Switzerland and is operated by the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH. SwissCovid will help to contain the new coronavirus. It complements the conventional contact tracing carried out by the cantons – and thus helps to break the chains of transmission. Using the SwissCovid app is voluntary and free of charge. The use of the app is limited to Switzerland and is subject to Swiss law.
Once the app is installed and the Bluetooth switched on, the smartphone transmits encrypted IDs, known as checksums, via Bluetooth. These are long random strings of characters. Each checksum is deleted automatically from the user’s phone two weeks after it is generated.The app anonymously measures how long and how close it is to other smartphones that have the app installed. It records any risk encounters that it has with other phones.
If a SwissCovid app user tests positive for the coronavirus, the cantonal authorities issues them with a code (the Covidcode). The code allows them to activate the notification function in their app. This warns other app users that have had an encounter with the infected person in the period starting two days before that person first experienced symptoms of the disease.
When the code is entered, the app notifies these other app users automatically and anonymously.The people who have been notified can then call the infoline number in the app and find out what to do next. Their privacy is maintained at all times.