Hong Kong Scraps Contact Tracing App That Raised Privacy Concern

Hong Kong is discarding its Covid contact tracing app, one of the most visible components of its pandemic infrastructure.

(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong is discarding its Covid contact tracing app, one of the most visible components of its pandemic infrastructure.

The LeaveHomeSafe app has ceased operation and will no longer be updated, according to a government statement dated Sunday. All visitation records uploaded from confirmed cases has been deleted, the statement said.

Use of the app, launched in November 2020 to track Covid cases and notify contacts, raised concern over privacy issues in the post-national security law era. Users were required to scan a barcode at public venues such as restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports facilities, or face a HK$5,000 ($640) fine. The requirement was dropped last month amid China’s rush toward living with the virus.

Residents can still use the app for functions such as registering for PCR tests, which is necessary for travel to mainland China, according to the statement.

The border with the mainland opened for the first time in three years on Sunday, with traffic of people subject to a daily quota. Hong Kong still requires masks to be worn in public.

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