Difference between revisions of "2342: Exposure Notification"
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During the coronavirus pandemic, several apps were developed to implement {{w|digital contact tracing}} by using one's location along with the location of others, or locationless device proximity detection, to notify someone if they had been potentially exposed to COVID-19. This normally only works in retrospect, as infected people are isolated, and the contacts notified after the positive test result. In this comic, a different type of app has been developed. Instead of notifying someone if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the app produces notifications if they have been exposed to someone who has '''not''' tested positive. (Perhaps it also notifies the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive, but if this is the case, it hasn't happened to the user in question yet.) This is much less useful because it is not possible to tell whether anyone has actually been near anyone who was infected, but rather annoys the user with excessive notifications. Also, being exposed to someone who has not tested positive is not good news, because it is still possible that the person might have COVID-19; it is simply less bad than being exposed to someone who has tested positive, but still worse than not being exposed to anyone. | During the coronavirus pandemic, several apps were developed to implement {{w|digital contact tracing}} by using one's location along with the location of others, or locationless device proximity detection, to notify someone if they had been potentially exposed to COVID-19. This normally only works in retrospect, as infected people are isolated, and the contacts notified after the positive test result. In this comic, a different type of app has been developed. Instead of notifying someone if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the app produces notifications if they have been exposed to someone who has '''not''' tested positive. (Perhaps it also notifies the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive, but if this is the case, it hasn't happened to the user in question yet.) This is much less useful because it is not possible to tell whether anyone has actually been near anyone who was infected, but rather annoys the user with excessive notifications. Also, being exposed to someone who has not tested positive is not good news, because it is still possible that the person might have COVID-19; it is simply less bad than being exposed to someone who has tested positive, but still worse than not being exposed to anyone. | ||
| − | Socially and psychologically, people being close to each other normally is a positive behavior. For a stereotypical human, it could be considered a sad sign of our times if you needed an app to tell you whether you did right in social interactions and compliment you. | + | Socially and psychologically, people being close to each other normally is a positive behavior. For a stereotypical human, it could be considered a sad sign of our times if you needed an app to tell you whether you did right in social interactions and compliment you. |
| − | |||
It is unclear whether this app genuinely hacks into strangers' medical records to identify whether they have been tested for Covid-19 - normally considered a significant privacy violation and a breach of medical and informatic laws - or whether it just indicates that the person you're coming into contact with isn't currently in a healthcare facillity having a test taken (with the proviso in the terms and conditions that it must not be used in a healthcare facillity). Patient's medical histories can be shared with public health professionals to manage outbreaks, but only in tightly regulated ways to protect privacy of patients. | It is unclear whether this app genuinely hacks into strangers' medical records to identify whether they have been tested for Covid-19 - normally considered a significant privacy violation and a breach of medical and informatic laws - or whether it just indicates that the person you're coming into contact with isn't currently in a healthcare facillity having a test taken (with the proviso in the terms and conditions that it must not be used in a healthcare facillity). Patient's medical histories can be shared with public health professionals to manage outbreaks, but only in tightly regulated ways to protect privacy of patients. | ||
| − | {{w|Light-on-dark color scheme| Dark mode}} is a common feature in apps which allows users the options to have a darker user interface. The title text, however, refers to dark mode not in the sense of the color scheme but rather that receiving notifications bearing the bad news that you have been exposed to COVID-19 is "dark." Because nobody likes his current app, Randall decides to give in and create a dark mode, which would make his app much more desirable for users | + | [[File:GNOME Shell, GNOME Clocks, Evince, gThumb, GNOME Files at version 3.30 (2018-09) in Dark theme.png|thumb|right|The GNOME desktop environment in dark mode]] |
| + | {{w|Light-on-dark color scheme| Dark mode}} is a common feature in apps which allows users the options to have a darker user interface. The title text, however, refers to dark mode not in the sense of the color scheme but rather that receiving notifications bearing the bad news that you have been exposed to COVID-19 is "dark." Because nobody likes his current app, Randall decides to give in and create a dark mode, which would make his app much more desirable for users. | ||
Randall has published similar "useless useful apps" in [[937: TornadoGuard]] (a tornado-alert app that has lots of great features, except it doesn't actually alert the user about tornadoes) and [[2236|2236: Is it Christmas?]] (a web page that correctly identifies most days as "not Christmas", but then fails to identify Christmas Day as Christmas, for a >99% "accuracy"). | Randall has published similar "useless useful apps" in [[937: TornadoGuard]] (a tornado-alert app that has lots of great features, except it doesn't actually alert the user about tornadoes) and [[2236|2236: Is it Christmas?]] (a web page that correctly identifies most days as "not Christmas", but then fails to identify Christmas Day as Christmas, for a >99% "accuracy"). | ||
Revision as of 20:42, 6 August 2020
| Exposure Notification |
 Title text: I don't see why everyone is so hungry for BAD news, but fine, I'll give in to feedback and add a dark mode. |
Explanation
|
This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a BOT THAT RECENTLY HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks. |
During the coronavirus pandemic, several apps were developed to implement digital contact tracing by using one's location along with the location of others, or locationless device proximity detection, to notify someone if they had been potentially exposed to COVID-19. This normally only works in retrospect, as infected people are isolated, and the contacts notified after the positive test result. In this comic, a different type of app has been developed. Instead of notifying someone if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the app produces notifications if they have been exposed to someone who has not tested positive. (Perhaps it also notifies the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive, but if this is the case, it hasn't happened to the user in question yet.) This is much less useful because it is not possible to tell whether anyone has actually been near anyone who was infected, but rather annoys the user with excessive notifications. Also, being exposed to someone who has not tested positive is not good news, because it is still possible that the person might have COVID-19; it is simply less bad than being exposed to someone who has tested positive, but still worse than not being exposed to anyone.
Socially and psychologically, people being close to each other normally is a positive behavior. For a stereotypical human, it could be considered a sad sign of our times if you needed an app to tell you whether you did right in social interactions and compliment you.
It is unclear whether this app genuinely hacks into strangers' medical records to identify whether they have been tested for Covid-19 - normally considered a significant privacy violation and a breach of medical and informatic laws - or whether it just indicates that the person you're coming into contact with isn't currently in a healthcare facillity having a test taken (with the proviso in the terms and conditions that it must not be used in a healthcare facillity). Patient's medical histories can be shared with public health professionals to manage outbreaks, but only in tightly regulated ways to protect privacy of patients.
_in_Dark_theme.png)
Dark mode is a common feature in apps which allows users the options to have a darker user interface. The title text, however, refers to dark mode not in the sense of the color scheme but rather that receiving notifications bearing the bad news that you have been exposed to COVID-19 is "dark." Because nobody likes his current app, Randall decides to give in and create a dark mode, which would make his app much more desirable for users.
Randall has published similar "useless useful apps" in 937: TornadoGuard (a tornado-alert app that has lots of great features, except it doesn't actually alert the user about tornadoes) and 2236: Is it Christmas? (a web page that correctly identifies most days as "not Christmas", but then fails to identify Christmas Day as Christmas, for a >99% "accuracy").
Transcript
- [Cueball standing, holding out his chiming smartphone to review alerts it has received.]
- Alert 1:43 PM
- Good news: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
- Alert 1:38 PM
- Good news: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
- Alert 1:36 PM
- Good news: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
- Alert 1:31 PM
- Good news: You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
- [Caption below the panel:]
- No one likes my new COVID exposure notification app.
add a comment! ⋅ add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ 
refresh comments!Discussion
Is it dark mode as in low light UI or dark mode as in depressing? Or both 198.41.238.106 21:24, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
I think the title text is using the term "dark mode" not in the sense of UI design but rather that COVID-19 is "dark" and if the app were to have a mode that did what other apps did and gave notifications for potential exposures (bad news) that would be a "dark mode." I have refrained from putting this in the explanation for now as I am curious if there are other interpretations.Nk1406 (talk) 21:27, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
I see we were thinking the same thing. I will add it.Nk1406 (talk) 21:27, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
- Actually I don't think that's what he meant at all. That would mean the developer was listening to user feedback. It seems more XKCD-like (and funnier) if the developer completely misunderstood the request and decided to spend a bunch of time adding a dark mode instead of what the user actually wanted. I'll add that as a possibility. 172.69.63.203 15:47, 7 August 2020 (UTC)
Sheesh, why dance around the point, say it loud and proud— ‘’dark humor’’ --WurmWoode (talk) 21:59, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
reminds me of people who would freak out when a financial audit report included the standard wording "We find no evidence of fraud ...." Cellocgw (talk) 12:31, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
What's this about Stack Overflow? A link to an explanation of what happened to alienate users might be useful. LtPowers (talk) 12:36, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
- @LtPowers probably the mess when they tossed a moderator after she asked for clarification on some "don't be offensive" rule. (really, SO allowed groups dedicated to discussing the, ummm, finer points of interpreting religions, and then where "shocked, shocked, I tell you" to find that zealots had hissy fits) Cellocgw (talk) 13:29, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
- Huh. I thought SO was only for narrowly-tailored programming questions. Still, a link would be useful in the explanation, in case I wasn't clear. LtPowers (talk) 13:42, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
- I removed that bit, as it just seems like random trivia. 172.69.34.144 20:49, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
There is no indication that the app is accessing any medical records, so I removed that section. The same self-reporting techniques that work in a normal contact tracing app would still work in this app.Nk1406 (talk) 21:45, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
The dark mode comment could be about the actual dark mode, making a joke about how programmers don't actually respond to the user's wishes and also a joke about the fact that every app / OS nowadays needs a dark mode to be fancy. 141.101.69.139
Should there be a Category for "useless useful apps"? Barmar (talk) 15:36, 7 August 2020 (UTC)
