TORONTO — Canada is introducing a contact tracing smartphone app that will notify Canadians of exposure to the new coronavirus.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the app will be voluntary and that if someone tests positive, other users who have the app and have been in proximity will then be alerted they’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive.

Trudeau says that the government will not collect any data from the app and users won't need to enable location services in order to use it.

Governments around the world have been turning to smartphone technology to help battle fresh virus flare-ups as they ease lockdown restrictions. But technical problems and privacy concerns have dogged the development of virus tracing apps.