What does it mean to me that the app works across borders?
This means that:
- If you have been in close contact with a user of another European country’s contact tracing app and that app user tests positive for COVID-19, you will be notified in smitte|stop.
- If you yourself test positive for COVID-19 and have been in close contact with a user of another EU country’s contact tracing app, that user will be notified in his or her national contact tracing app.
If you receive an alert in the app, you cannot see whether the alert comes from a user of the Danish smitte|stop app or a user of another European contact tracing app. If you test positive for COVID-19 and wish to share your positive result with other COVID-19 app users, they cannot see that the alert came from a Danish app user.
What do I have to do for the app to work across borders?
You have to update your app to version 2.0 and accept the new consent. If you have chosen that your apps automatically update, the update will happen automatically. If you have not chosen automatic update of apps, you have to manually update the app in App Store or Google Play Store. Afterwards you can renew your consent in the app.
Why do I have to renew my consent?
For the app to work across borders, you have to renew your consent. In the new consent, you accept that contact with and notifications from other users of national contact tracing apps will be stored on your phone. Hence, you can receive alerts from other European app users. This is stated in the executive order number 1148 of December 9th 2011 on the requirements of information and consent in relation to the storage of and access to information on the end user’s terminal equipment (Executive Order on Cookies).
Which national apps does the smitte|stop app work with?
The smitte|stop app currently works with the following national contact tracing apps:
- Germany’s Corona-Warn-App
- Italy’s Immuni
- Ireland’s COVID tracker
- Spain’s Radar Covid
- Latvia’s Apturi Covid
I never travel anywhere. Why do I have to update the app?
Even if you do not intend to travel, other people may come to Denmark to visit, and you may be close to someone who later test positive without knowing. Therefore, you have to update your app even though you plan to remain in Denmark.
What if I had a COVID-19 test in another EU country?
You cannot report a positive test result in the smittestop app if you took a test in another country. You have to test positive in Denmark, to share the information in the app.
If you test positive for COVID-19 while traveling, it is important that you follow the guidelines in the country in which you test positive.
Can I use two or more COVID-19 apps at the same time?
No, you can one use one app. Using two or more apps at the same time is not possible as the Google and Apple technology supports only one contact tracing app at a time. Thanks to the new European gateway service you only have to use one app while travelling.
How does the app work across borders?
The European Commission have developed a European solution which consists of a gateway service for national contact tracing apps to connect to. The Danish smitte|stop app is connected to the European solution.
This means, that if you test positive for COVID-19 and share it in the smitte|stop app, your randomly generated ID’s will be sent to the European gateway service, where the information will be shared with other national contact tracing apps. Likewise, the Danish smitte|stop app will receive randomly generated IDs from other countries through the European gateway service.
The IDs do not contain information about your identity or location (who and where you are). Along with the IDs, the app also sends information about which countries you have visited in the last fourteen days. You will be asked this question in the app when you report that you have tested positive for COVID-19.Only Member States, that have a contact tracing app based on Google and Apples technology, are able to connect to the European gateway service.
What is the European gateway service?
The European gateway service is a digital infrastructure that ensures the secure transmission of generated keys between the backend servers of participating national contact tracing and warning apps. The data exchanged will only be stored in the gateway for a maximum period of 14 days. Read more about the European gateway service here.
Will it affect smitte|stops use of data?
It might affect your data usage. If you want to control your data usage, you can turn off mobile data under settings. If you choose to turn off mobile data it requires connection to wi-fi to collect information about the infected you have been close to. The app is still active even if you choose to turn off mobile data
Who is data controller and data processor for the European gateway service?
The European Commission is the data processor for the European gateway service and the Member States that connect to the gateway are data controllers.
The Member States that connect to the gateway will act a joint data controllers and will process data following the technical specifications agreed between Member States and the Commission and in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation
The Danish Patient Safety Authority is the Danish data controller for the app and point of contact, as it is the authority responsible for contract tracing.
Read about the app’s processing of personal data here
