Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health announced on June 6 that the COVID-19 tracking application “Wiqaytna” (our protection) has collected more than one million downloads in a few days’ time since its June 1 launch.
The Bluetooth-based application compiles a database of all people with whom users made contact. When a name on a user’s contact list tests positive for COVID-19 within 21 days of making contact, the app notifies the user to get tested.
The app is a useful device prior to the gradual lifting of lockdown measures, the ministry underlined.
The application, which can be downloaded on www.wiqaytna.ma, Google Play, and the IOS App Store, aims to protect public health while guarding online and data privacy, according to the ministry.
The application aroused skepticism among citizens after the ministry’s first announcement. The main concern related to the violation of users’ privacy through data collection from contacts and GPS tracking.
The ministry refuted the claims and explained that the application uses only Bluetooth technology and it is, therefore, impossible to track users’ movements. The reassurance added that the data collected is only sent to the Ministry of Health only in the event of a user’s contamination, upon which the app asks for the user’s consent to proceed with the data transfer.
Downloading and using the “Wiqaytna” application is voluntary and is part of the nationwide awareness campaign, “Stay vigilant, protect each other,” which encourages citizens to continue to implement precautionary measures against the virus.
Morocco has seen the emergence of several COVID-19 tracking apps in addition to “Wiqaytna.”
A scientific team from the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA) at the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech announced on June 1 the development of “Marocovid,” an app that allows users to track their interactions with COVID-19 carriers.
Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) also launched its own app to track the movement of citizens and residents to ensure their compliance with the state of emergency. The objective of the DGSN app is to limit unnecessary movement of citizens to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from one region to another.
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