"NRKbeta is NRKs sandbox for technology and media. We write about media, the internet and new technology with a focus on you as the user, and what we at NRK do in this field. We call it a sandbox because we want to test things out, be curious and find out how things change. And bring you, the users, with us on this journey."
I also think it's important to contextualize this journalism with the current debate around the Norwegian contact tracing application.
The application has been heavily criticized for the collection of GPS data for research usage and track behaviour when new guidelines are announced. They claim this data is going to be "anonymized", but alter clarified it would only be "pseudonomized".
It is also unclear if the data collected is going to be deleted in December, when the app is set for deletion by the current regulation from Stortinget.
They picked a dumb name. As a Norwegian, I was under the impression that they've actually got a beta version of some supposed new site functionality for the longest time.
Is december a realistic end date for the epidemic control it is supposed to provide? Herd immunity by vaccination at that point is extremely unlikely...
If you are using it for data instead of control, well, that's months of data about how people move around with varying restrictions. It is enough to refine policies and note how different sorts of restrictions change people's behavior. For example, if no one really follows x mandate, well, you either drop the mandate, change it, or come in with some fairly heavy-duty force.
Now, other uses might require more time. If you really need to see where the person has infected others and this is your tool, it might not be enough time. It is too early to tell, though, and I'm not sure how well phone inspections would go here in Norway nor how many people would download the app. It would make me more likely to leave my phone at home if, you know, I had much life outside of home.
"NRKbeta is NRKs sandbox for technology and media. We write about media, the internet and new technology with a focus on you as the user, and what we at NRK do in this field. We call it a sandbox because we want to test things out, be curious and find out how things change. And bring you, the users, with us on this journey."
https://nrkbeta.no/
EDIT:
I also think it's important to contextualize this journalism with the current debate around the Norwegian contact tracing application.
The application has been heavily criticized for the collection of GPS data for research usage and track behaviour when new guidelines are announced. They claim this data is going to be "anonymized", but alter clarified it would only be "pseudonomized".
It is also unclear if the data collected is going to be deleted in December, when the app is set for deletion by the current regulation from Stortinget.