When France launched its app for digital contact tracing, it looked like a possible breakthrough for the virus-ravaged country. After going live in June, StopCovid was downloaded by 2 million people in a short time, and digital affairs minister Cédric O said that “from the first downloads, the app helps avoid contamination, illness, and so deaths.” But officials soon had to walk their enthusiasm back after it emerged that in its first three weeks the app had alerted only 14 people to tell them they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.  [...] Part of the criticism may be due to too much hype. [...] On a mathematical level, too, the low level of notifications might be expected [...] However, even with the most optimistic lens, it’s clear there’s a gulf between what was promised and what these apps are delivering. [...] “This is the prime risk for developers: you make one mistake and wipe out somebody’s battery,” says Andrew Eland, who until recently worked as an engineering director at Google and then DeepMind Health. [...] “If you want to know the best way to spend time and money on technology to track and trace coronavirus infections, it would probably be better to focus on making manual contact tracing more efficient,” says Eland. Continua su https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/07/10/1005027/8-million-people-14-aler... Giacomo