The GuideSafe™ Alabama Exposure Notification App

The Alabama Exposure Notification app is a powerful weapon in the fight to slow the spread of COVID-19 within the state of Alabama. The system, used by every major college and university in the state, quickly alerts users who may have been exposed to the virus to drive preventive action faster and stop the spread.

Users of the app can anonymously share their COVID-19 test result, and be anonymously notified of previous close contact who later reports a positive COVID-19 test result—without sharing anyone’s identity.

Watch an overview of the GuideSafe Alabama Exposure Notification App

A Public-Private Partnership for the Greater Good

The GuideSafe Exposure Notification app was developed by the Alabama Department of Public Health in cooperation with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and MotionMobs, using technology from a collaboration between Apple and Google.

The app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

How the app works:

1

A user downloads the GuideSafe Alabama Exposure Notification App from the App Store or Google Play, and then enables Bluetooth.

2

If the user has tested positive for COVID-19, they can choose to report it.

3

The user keeps the app running in the background on their phone, and they will be notified if they have come in close contact with someone who tested positive and reports it in the app.

If the user reported a positive test, those who may have been in close contact with them in the last 14 days will be made aware they were near someone with a positive test, but they won’t know who or where. The user’s identity and location remain completely anonymous, and their personal information will not be disclosed. Visit the GuideSafe Alabama Exposure App FAQs page for answers to common questions.

How the App Protects User Privacy

The GuideSafe Alabama Exposure Notification App does not collect identifying information such as the user’s name, address, date of birth, contact information or specific location data. Once the user downloads the app and opts in to the notification system, the tool will generate a random code for his/her device. To help make certain they can’t be identified, the random codes change every few minutes. Users can also turn bluetooth sharing off and on at any time, and the app itself has been engineered so that it can’t be used to pinpoint a device’s specific location.

The user controls any and all data they want to share, and whether or not they want to share it. If the user shares a positive test result, that information will only be shared with public health officials in the user’s state, if the public health department has chosen to participate. Providing exposure notifications to users in the community can quickly give them the information they need to quarantine or seek testing or treatment to beat COVID-19.

Take action now to keep your organization moving forward safely.

Complete the form below to request more information about the GuideSafe™ Platform.

UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans.