China has a coronavirus 'close contact detector' app

BEIJING — China has apparently launched an app that allows people to check whether they have been at risk of catching you-know-what.

The BBC reports that the "close contact detector" tells users if they have been near a person who has been confirmed or suspected of having the thing that will remain nameless.

Those identified as being at risk are advised to seal themselves up in their homes and notify local authorities, so they can come and lock you up.

The technology is just another example of how invasive the Chinese government is with its 1984-esque surveillance of its population.

To see if you're about to join the land of the not living, users just scan a QR code on their smartphones.

After the new app is registered with a phone number, users are asked to enter their name and ID number.

Every registered phone number can then be used to check the status of up to three ID numbers.

According to state-run speakerbox Xinhua, the app was designed in a fun-filled collaboration with government departments and the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and supported by data from health and transport authorities.

Here's a question though, how exactly is this app supposed to function properly when the Chinese government is obviously lying about how many people have been infected and how many are now pushing up daisies?