To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHSx will develop the functionality of the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app to allow users to order the deletion of the information they have submitted to the database, once the app itself is no longer required to tackle covid-19.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
28 May 2020
App users can delete the National Health Service COVID-19 app whenever they want. If users delete the app, all data stored on the phone and not already shared with the NHS would be deleted. If users do not opt to share their data, it will automatically be deleted on a continuous 28-day cycle within the app, on the phone.
Data shared with the NHS, either proactively or as part of requesting a test, may be retained in accordance with necessary legislation, and may be used in the future for research in the public interest, or by the NHS for planning and delivering services, subject to the necessary approvals required by law.