Announced in a torrent of controversies, the StopCovid application, intended to fight against the coronavirus thanks to a tracking of its users, has still not seen the light of day. It was to be the subject of a debate and a vote on Tuesday, which was finally postponed. And for good reason: its designers face many technical obstacles.

The name alone was already a problem. "StopCovid", that was too promising for some to designate the "tracking" application intended to curb the coronavirus epidemic by finding the contacts of an infected person thanks to the Bluetooth function of smartphones. But this is not the main issue. Also criticized for its lack of respect for personal data, this project faces numerous technical obstacles. To the point that some predict that it will never see the light of day. 

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Technical obstacles

In the current state of application development, if the user launches it but does something else with his phone, such as checking his emails or watching a video, "StopCovid" then goes into the background ... and does not work more.

For it to remain active, it would need the help of Google and Apple, which manage Android and iOs respectively, the two most common operating systems on smartphones. But the two American behemoths are only ready to give a boost if they have complete control over the application. They also have in mind to quickly develop themselves the basis of a tracking application that governments could customize as they wish.

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France wants to do without Google and Apple

Unthinkable in France where, already, the application presented by the government as "transparent, voluntary and anonymous" is suspected of looting the personal data of users. The Cnil, the guardian of the privacy of the French, has also given a green light in principle but asked to review the government copy once the application actually defined and built. It is also a question of sovereignty: Paris wants to be able to make its own technical and architectural choices without depending on the American giants.

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The solution would therefore be "to go through connected objects that do not depend on Android or iOS", explains Aymeril Hoang, digital specialist and member of the Scientific Council. "Except that it's more complex, more expensive, it takes more time ..."

Efficiency that remains to be proven

Last problem: for this application to be effective, some researchers estimate that 60% of the population must use it. What promises to be complicated for a device that does not yet exist and is already causing so much controversy. Fears over personal data prompted MEPs to demand a debate, but also a vote on tracking in the Assembly. Obtained by hard struggle, it was to be held on Tuesday. It was finally pushed back to make way for the deconfinement plan of Edouard Philippe, but also because StopCovid is far from ready.

On the name issue, however, the solutions seem easier to find. The application could be renamed "Covid Alert" or "Trace Covid" ... if it is born.