Dear All, Checkout the new podcast by Research ICT Africa on contact tracing and South Africa’s new contact tracing app. <https://researchictafrica.net/2020/09/15/south-africas-new-covid-19-contact-tracing-app/> https://researchictafrica.net/2020/09/15/south-africas-new-covid-19-contact-... <https://researchictafrica.net/2020/09/15/south-africas-new-covid-19-contact-tracing-app/> On this 8th episode of the RIA podcast we are discussing COVID-19 contact tracing with Dr. David Johnson <https://people.cs.uct.ac.za/~djohnson/> from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town. David has recently conducted research on contact tracing which he will be discussing, as well as South Africa’s new contact tracing app, COVID Alert. In it we talk about contact tracing at both technological and non-technological levels. First we will discuss what contact tracing is, then we will discuss technological approaches to contact tracing. We will then discuss both the technological limits of, and access barriers to contact tracing. We will also discuss South Africa’s previous mobile-location based contact tracing approach, and the WhatsApp and USSD based COVID information app. Finally we discuss the Google Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) protocol, as well as the new GAEN-based South African App, COVID Alert. David is a telecommunication consultant and adjunct senior lecturer in the Computer Science Department at the University of Cape Town specialising in community network access models and RIA Senior Associate. He received his PhD in Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2013 and was recently a visiting IT policy fellow at the Centre for Information and Technology Policy at Princeton. David has published more than 60 articles <https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=88B0Yj0AAAAJ&hl=en> in the areas of computer networks, wireless connectivity and ICT for Development and has 15 years experience developing networking solutions for the African context using open source technology.He has led a number of connectivity projects in the area of small cell, mesh technology and edge-hosted services in Zambia and South Africa. He has also led policy work on broadband expansion and spectrum management for the South African government, including contributing to South Africa’s finalised TV white space regulation and modelling future high demand spectrum for the new National Wireless Open Access Network. His current research interest is in Cellular White Space technology, blockchain, mesh networks and community network micro-clouds. This podcast is hosted and produced by RIA Researcher, Alex Comninos. Download the COVID Alert South Africa App <https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2020/09/01/download-the-app-every-covid-alert-sa-app-download-means-more-lives-saved-in-sa/> on the Google Play Store <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.gov.health.covidconnect&hl=en> or the Apple App Store <https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1524618326?mt=8>. The music for this podcast is “Nobody Think Nomo” by Chimurenga Renaissance (feat. Mall Saint).