Apple Inc. and Google LLC today officially launched their COVID-19 contact tracing technology for public health agencies across the globe.

Some 22 countries and three U.S. states have expressed an interest in using the Exposure Notifications System application programming interface, which is designed to be used by PHAs to build their own contact tracing applications.

The technology works by tracking people that individuals have had close contact with and informing them if one of those people has officially tested positive for the coronavirus. The system sends out a notification warning users to contact their local health authority for medical advice.

The API, which was announced last month, uses a Bluetooth-based system that stores data on user’s smartphones rather than a central database. Neither Apple or Google will make contact tracing apps themselves.

Reuters reported today that 22 countries, including Austria, Germany and Switzerland, have requested and received access to the API, which is included in updates to the iOS and Android operating systems being pushed out this week.

Three U.S. states have also started using the API. North Dakota will use the technology as the basis of its CARE19 app, while South Carolina is planning to integrate it with its SC-Safer-Together application. Meanwhile, health officials in Alabama said the state will harness the technology to “accelerate exposure notification to slow the spread of COVID-19 so that we can all be safe together.”

“North Dakota is excited to be among the first states in the nation to utilize the exposure notification technology built by Apple and Google to help keep our citizens safe,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum in a statement.

Technology can help health officials rapidly tell someone they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Today the Exposure Notification API we created with @Google is available to help public health agencies make their COVID-19 apps effective while protecting user privacy.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 20, 2020

The API has attracted some criticism since it was first announced, with some claiming that the technology is effectively just a “global mass surveillance tool.” Others are concerned that the opt-in service will be directly integrated with Apple’s and Google’s operating systems, which means smartphone users don’t have any option but to install it.

Still, Apple and Google have insisted that the API is designed to protect user privacy and limit the use of any personal information. For example, apps built using the API won’t be able to use GPS data, which can pinpoint people’s exact location. It will also prevent governments from turning on any applications without users’ knowledge. They will also restrict data collection to the minimum amount of information necessary, and that data can’t be used for advertising purposes, the companies said.

Analyst Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. told SiliconANGLE that Apple’s and Google’s new API is a rare case of two rival companies working together on technology that can do more than what best practices and privacy concerns demand.

“It’ll be interesting to see the demand for this from public health authorities, and whether or not people choose to adopt it,” Mueller said. “So far, contact tracing apps have had little success due to slow development times, uncertain APIs and battery drainage issues. Today’s effort at least gives us some more API clarity.”

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