Last month, Amber Beard tested out and wrote about a new Covid-19 tracking app that the UK government was trialing on the Isle of Wight.

Beard explained how the app, named NHS Covid-19, was initially met with enthusiasm by residents and that a reported 65% downloaded it. 

However, NHS Covid-19 — which used Bluetooth technology to collect data from phones — raised concerns among privacy advocates and experts, who said it did not allow users enough control over how their data was shared and stored. 

The app used a so-called centralized approach, that enabled the collection of information in a central database, to which law enforcement and intelligence agencies could potentially gain access.