Norway contact tracing app temporarily banned

Norway’s contact tracing app, Smittestopp, has been temporarily banned due to privacy concerns raised by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NDPA). The app, which has been downloaded 1.6 million times, will no longer collect data and all personal data will be deleted. The NDPA expressed concerns about the extent of invasion of user privacy and the decreasing infection rate of COVID-19. The ban has been met with disappointment from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, who said it will hinder the country’s response to the pandemic.