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Users claim app was “installed without any notification”
Google appears to have automatically installed the coronavirus (COVID-19) exposure notification app for Massachusetts on some Android phones.
“We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings,” the tech giant said in a statement.
The app, called MassNotify, was launched in Massachusetts on June 15. Since then, a number of Android phone users in the state reported that the app had been automatically installed on their phones without warning or consent. But Google noted that the notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns on the app.
“This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store, so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure,” Google said.
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