TURNING CRISIS INTO OPPORTUNITY, USING I&T IN COMBATING COVID-19

To meet the needs of anti-epidemic work, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) developed the “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app, which does not require the public to register any personal data and thus alleviates the public’s concern about privacy. The app was launched in November 2020, aiming to provide members of the public with a convenient digital tool that encourages them to make it a habit of recording their whereabouts. The mobile app also supports the Department of Health in sending notifications of Compulsory Testing Notices (“CTNs”), reminding users concerned to conduct COVID-19 tests in compliance with the CTNs, and assisting the Department of Health to perform contact tracing.

PRIVACY BY DESIGN, LOCAL TECHNOLOGY

“LeaveHomeSafe” has adopted a decentralised system design, placing privacy protection at the centre of its design. Through locally developed technologies, it creates a way of recording whereabouts that is unique in Hong Kong. For example, through the collaboration with Hong Kong Baptist University and the adoption of their locally developed award-winning AI analytic technology, OGCIO launched a dynamic auto-leave function for taxi rides as an ongoing effort to enhance user experience.

CONTINUOUS SERVICE IMPROVEMENT

From its initial launch at some 6 000 venues, “LeaveHomeSafe” has now extended to every part of the territory with more than 140 000 public and private venues having participated, recording over 9 million downloads. “LeaveHomeSafe” has become part of Hong Kong people’s daily life and an indispensable anti-epidemic tool. In collaboration with different bureaux and departments, OGCIO has been promoting the tool to the public through different channels, including TV clips, animations and social media, organising press conferences and briefings and visiting venues like shopping malls and markets, to enhance the public’s awareness of “LeaveHomeSafe”. Since the launch of the app, OGCIO has been actively listening to the public’s feedback and has added many new features to bring convenience to the public, such as Electronic Vaccination Record, Vaccine Pass, Red/Amber Code System, Testing Registration Code, Companion’s Vaccine Pass, etc. OGCIO has also set up mobile support stations in 25 MTR stations and provided the “LeaveHomeSafe” telephone hotline to support citizens to use the app through different channels.

Upholding the citizen-centric principle, OGCIO will continue to improve “LeaveHomeSafe” so as to help the community to resume normal daily life as soon as possible.