Private Kit

Name: Private Kit
Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Researchers & AcademicsGeneral Public & Enthusiasts

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

Private Kit is a privacy-first application that allows individuals to log their GPS location history locally on their device, designed to provide a secure data source for public health applications like epidemic contact tracing. The associated research outlines the scientific basis for mobile contact-tracing tools that can accurately collect an individual's location and contact history while mitigating the surveillance risks posed by first-generation technologies. The authors conclude that such privacy-preserving frameworks can support effective public health measures, including pandemic containment and vaccine distribution, without compromising personal freedoms.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Private Kit is a privacy-preserving location logging system. The application leverages a device's native GPS and motion sensors to automatically record location data at five-minute intervals. All information is encrypted and stored exclusively on the user's device for 28 days. Data sharing is user-initiated; the system requires explicit, manual action to export a location trail for use in external research or contact tracing initiatives, ensuring user control over personal information.

Evidence & Research Context

The associated research outlines the critical trade-offs between public health utility and individual privacy in digital contact tracing for epidemic response.
The app's design is grounded in principles of user-centric data control, serving as a technological approach to mitigate the risks inherent in mass surveillance.
This tool is part of the MIT SafePaths initiative, a broader research effort to develop privacy-preserving digital solutions for public health crises.
The system's privacy-first architecture is proposed as a foundational component for secure, voluntary public health data-sharing protocols.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is intended for the general public for personal location logging and for researchers requiring privacy-preserving GPS data. Its primary utility is to create a secure, user-controlled location history that can be voluntarily shared for public health or research initiatives. The app does not perform automatic contact tracing, provide exposure notifications, or offer any medical guidance.

Studies & Publications

2 publications

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Development/Design Paper

MIT SafePaths Card (MiSaCa): Augmenting Paper Based Vaccination Cards with Printed Codes

Bae et al. (2021) · arXiv

Describes the research-driven development of this app

In this early draft, we describe a user-centric, card-based system for vaccine distribution. Our system makes use of digitally signed QR codes and their use for phased vaccine distribution, vaccine administration/record-keeping, immunization verification, and follow-up symptom reporting. Furthermore, we propose and describe a complementary scanner app system to be used by vaccination clinics, public health officials, and immunization verification parties to effectively utilize card-based framework. We believe that the proposed system provides a privacy-preserving and efficient framework for vaccine distribution in both developed and developing regions.

Non-Evaluative Reference

Apps Gone Rogue: Maintaining Personal Privacy in an Epidemic

Raskar et al. (2020) · arXiv

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

Containment, the key strategy in quickly halting an epidemic, requires rapid identification and quarantine of the infected individuals, determination of whom they have had close contact with in the previous days and weeks, and decontamination of locations the infected individual has visited. Achieving containment demands accurate and timely collection of the infected individual's location and contact history. Traditionally, this process is labor intensive, susceptible to memory errors, and fraught with privacy concerns. With the recent almost ubiquitous availability of smart phones, many people carry a tool which can be utilized to quickly identify an infected individual's contacts during an epidemic, such as the current 2019 novel Coronavirus crisis. Unfortunately, the very same first-generation contact tracing tools have been used to expand mass surveillance, limit individual freedoms and expose the most private details about individuals. We seek to outline the different technological approaches to mobile-phone based contact-tracing to date and elaborate on the opportunities and the risks that these technologies pose to individuals and societies. We describe advanced security enhancing approaches that can mitigate these risks and describe trade-offs one must make when developing and deploying any mass contact-tracing technology. With this paper, our aim is to continue to grow the conversation regarding contact-tracing for epidemic and pandemic containment and discuss opportunities to advance this space. We invite feedback and discussion.

In the Media

Local governments warm to MIT coronavirus-tracking app

MIT assistant professor Ramesh Raskar developed Private Kit SafePaths to help people discover if they've crossed paths with someone infected with COVID-19, using smartphone GPS location technology to track movements. "We have lots of pilots going on and lots of discussions," said Raskar, noting that many state and local jurisdictions are working with MIT to shape the contact-tracing solution. The team is adding encryption technology called hashing for better privacy and collaborating with other MIT researchers to integrate Bluetooth-based PACT abilities into SafePaths.

CnetRead article

Safe Paths: A privacy-first approach to contact tracing

MIT Media Lab Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar developed Private Kit as part of the Safe Paths platform to address contact tracing challenges during Covid-19, using a privacy-first approach that avoids mass surveillance concerns. The Safe Paths project represents a multi-faculty, cross-MIT effort with input from Harvard University, Stanford University, Mayo Clinic, and guidance from the World Health Organization. The platform currently operates in beta and comprises both the PrivateKit smartphone application and a web application called Safe Places.

MITRead article

Bluetooth signals from your smartphone could automate Covid-19 contact tracing while preserving privacy

MIT researchers led by Ramesh Raskar developed Private Kit as part of the SafePaths initiative to automate Covid-19 contact tracing using short-range Bluetooth signals while preserving privacy. "I keep track of what I've broadcasted, and you keep track of what you've heard, and this will allow us to tell if someone was in close proximity to an infected person," says Ron Rivest, MIT Institute Professor and principal investigator. The system uses cryptographic techniques to generate random, rotating numbers that cannot be traced back to individuals.

MITRead article

A new app would say if you've crossed paths with someone who is infected

MIT Media Lab's Ramesh Raskar developed Private Kit: Safe Paths to curb Covid-19 spread by tracking user locations and contact paths while preserving privacy through encrypted data sharing between phones. The free, open-source app was created by researchers at MIT and Harvard alongside software engineers from Facebook and Uber working in their spare time. Raskar believes this "fine-grained tracking approach" offers a better alternative to "blanket shutdowns, which are socially and economically disruptive."

TechnologyreviewRead article