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Lawsuit: Massachusetts secretly installed COVID-19 contact tracing app on mobile phones

Two men who own Android devices are suing the Massachusetts health department on behalf of millions of residents, accusing the agency of installing COVID-19 tracking software on their mobile phones without permission.

In a 35-page complaint filed in federal court this week, Robert Wright and Johnny Kula claim that the state worked with Google to develop COVID-19 tracking software, but when it couldn’t get enough volunteers to download it onto their phones willingly, it secretly installed it on the phones of Android users who live or work in the state.

According to court records, they claim the app would not appear on a user’s home screen but could only be located by going into the settings.