Originally published on December 10, 2020 5:40 am
In April, Google and Apple launched software that state health authorities can use to build COVID-19 contact tracing apps. But fewer than half of U.S. states have taken advantage, and most people living in those states aren't putting the apps to use.
In the Mountain West, Colorado's Exposure Notifications app has had the most success, with about 20% of the state's population having downloaded it. But fewer than 3% of Wyoming and Nevada residents have downloaded their states' smartphone apps.
Jessica Vitak, a professor of information studies at the University of Maryland, says concerns about data privacy are contributing to the slow uptake in those and other states across the country.