The license for the Luca app will not be renewed in Schleswig-Holstein. The decision to terminate the contract with effect from March was made primarily because the Corona state ordinance has no longer included an obligation to collect contact details since September 2021, said a spokeswoman for the Schleswig-Holstein district association.
“No reason” for Luca
“Since this has not changed – contrary to suggestions from our side, for example with a view to events and gastronomy – there is no reason to hold on to Luca,” said the spokeswoman. The Luca app is intended to help restaurant owners and event organizers to complete the legally required recording of visitor contacts without paperwork.
In Baden-Württemberg, too, a possible extension of the licenses is still being discussed. The country had acquired the app in the spring for 3.7 million euros. According to earlier information from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Health, the contract expires at the end of March and is automatically extended if it is not terminated in due time. The extension is also still up for debate in Saarland and Bavaria. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed on Wednesday that the federal government would not cover the costs.
The application has been the subject of public controversy for months. Criticism was recently sparked by an incident in Mainz. There, the police and health authorities used data from the Luca app to search for witnesses. After that, individual politicians publicly called for the Luca app to be deleted from mobile phones and asked the federal states not to extend expiring contracts with the provider.
The rapper Smudo defended the Luca app against allegations by network politicians from the Greens and the FDP. The artist told the picture that he had no understanding for their call to uninstall the app. Smudo helped develop the app to enable his band and other artists to perform again during the corona pandemic. The singer has an economic stake in the operating company of the Luca app.
(vbr)
