In a massive u-turn that Guido repeatedly warned would have to come about, the NHS has finally given up on the bug filled, battery draining, and privacy invading, in-house, centralised app it was building, instead opting for the Apple-Google decentralised model Guido has long advocated. Finally. 

Back in May, Guido reported that the NHS “bizarrely rejected the decentralised, secure and intelligently designed Apple-Google contact tracing framework in favour of a centralised approach.” Guido’s experts then comprehensively rebutted the health departments arguments, concluding by saying:

“Why is the NHS trying to develop its own entire infrastructure and app rather than use a system developed by some of the world’s best software engineers at Apple and Google? Why do you think you know better than the people who literally wrote the operating system? We hope the Government has not got it wrong on this IT project this time…“

Looks like the trial on the Isle of Wight did not really go well…

Matthew Lesh, the Head of Research at the ASI tells Guido

“We have lost crucial time, but it is welcome that the Government has listened to public concerns to get this important project right. It was always folly for NHSX to try building an app from scratch. Despite assertions, it was never going to work as well or ensure privacy would be protected as the Apple-Google framework.

The decentralised, Apple-Google approach will protect privacy, work across borders, limit battery drain, and effectively work in the background. A more effective app will help protect the NHS and save lives as winter approaches.”

Better late than never…