«SARS Contact Tracing SMS» program

A new text alert service dubbed «SARS Contact Tracing SMS», was launched yesterday by StarHub and the Singapore Tourism Board, "as a quick and easy way to trace people in case - touch wood - of another Sars outbreak in Singapore", according to the Straits Times.

By keying in the six-digit postal code of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls (which they display on posters on their premises) and sending it to a designed number, the mobile user's whereabouts will be logged automatically onto the StarHub website.

The data is to be released to the Ministry of Health - and other relevant government bodies - only if they ask for it. Otherwise, data stored is deleted after 14 days.

emily | 2:58 PM | SMS and SARS |
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