New privacy concerns arose last week when Apple Inc. and Google announced their upcoming collaboration. The companies have joined forces to develop a software application that will alert users if they have been in close proximity to an individual who has tested positive for COVD-19.

The app does not identify the infected individual, nor does it identify the location at which a user came into contact with the infected individual. The application, expected to be rolled out in two phases beginning mid-May, will use contact-tracing technology and public health data to determine which users may have had contact with a sick individual.

Critics in the United States object to this global exchange of sensitive health information, arguing that such information gathering violates a user’s right to privacy. The app’s developers claim that location data is not being collected and that users will need to expressly consent before their positive COVID-19 status will be shared with the app.