Despite all the criticism and security loopholes, it is the Luca app that has established itself as a digital instrument for tracking contacts in restaurants, bars, hairdressing salons and at events. The health authorities do not seem to benefit too much from the data, reports Der Spiegel in the current issue.
The answers to a survey among a good 200 of the almost 400 health authorities are sobering in Germany, which the Spiegel carried out. 86 health authorities were able to provide detailed information on the value of Luca data. In around 130 cases, data would have been requested, in around 60 cases these were of assistance in tracking chains of infection. The problem: In the corresponding districts, there were around 130,000 new Covid-19 infections during these periods.
The Luca app is only used intensively in a few districts, for example the report by the Hamburg health authority is positive. In many places, however, this does not apply. Half of 114 health authorities with a Luca connection have never requested the contact data recorded via the app during the Spiegel survey.
costs and benefits
There are also many reasons why the health authorities explain the low level of use. Sometimes it's technical problems, sometimes the low number of infections in the respective region, sometimes it's the data quality. In the Main-Taunus district, the health department also explains that setting up and operating the app is associated with an effort that does not correspond to the benefit.
According to a report by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (br), one of the core problems is: Places such as shopping centers often only use a Luca code at the entrance. In this way, in the event of an infection, the contacts of all visitors are transmitted – and not just those who were actually in the vicinity of the sick person. This means that the health authorities need to research the phone again, the benefits of the app remain manageable.
The Luca developers Nexenio rate this, unsurprisingly, differently. In the past few weeks, more and more cases have been followed up. According to this, health authorities have requested the contact details of 1202 locations in 474 cases in the last two weeks. “We can see that in the last three weeks more and more infections have been tracked with Luca data,” says Nexenio boss Patrick Hennig in Spiegel. In addition, the contact determination should be technically specified again.
How things will go on with Luca
It is unclear how things will go on with Luca . 13 federal states have spent a good 21 million euros on the licenses, now the question is whether they will be extended. Whether the app is useful in everyday life is a criterion in the decision. Then there are the shortcomings in terms of security. In the past, several weaknesses were made public that were only subsequently resolved. The procurement practice was also controversial.
IT experts and representatives from the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) therefore called for a Luca moratorium months ago. The awarding practices, for example, should be checked.