Adatree launches COVID hotspot alert system

Australian Fintech startup Adatree has launched a new free solution that uses card purchasing data to alert consumers if they have visited a COVID exposure site.

The service has been founded by former Tyro Payments employee Jill Berry and Volt Bank employee Shane Doolan. It is currently available for NSW residents outside of Greater Sydney, and will be rolled out to Victoria and Queensland shortly.

The platform draws on NSW Health data and an employee’s transaction purchase data to notify users via SMS if they have visited a COVID venue of concern within minutes of it being listed as an exposure site. This enables the platform to provide alerts in 0.03% of the time of a manual contact tracer.

Despite the use of personal data, the platform has been designed to be fully compliant with Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR) legislation.

The cloud-native service has been developed using the AWS Serverless Application Model and was integrated within the Adatree ADR Platform within just a day.

The platform is currently in public beta, with users able to join a waitlist via the Adatree website. Users will need to fill out a consent registration form authorising Adatree to use their data for the sole purpose of sending hotspot alerts. Consent can be revoked at any time.

Berry said the platform is also an opportunity to address the shortcomings involved with not every resident complying with QR code check-in requirements.

“We are thrilled to be launching Australia’s first example of data for good to help keep the community safe, keep them more informed, and give Australians greater peace of mind,” she said.

“Using our technology for better consumer outcomes is currently one of the biggest priorities, and as part of our company DNA, we wanted to use our pioneering and regulated technology to support what the government is already doing.”

Fintech B2B Adatree, which was founded by Berry and Doolan, is currently Australia’s only accredited and active intermediary of the CDR. The company has been established to help lead Australia’s transition to open banking under the CDR regime.

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