New Delhi: Attacking the government on the Aarogya Setu mobile app, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the application is a sophisticated surveillance system outsourced to a private operator that raises serious data security and privacy concerns.
Responding to the concerns Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Aarogya Setu is a powerful companion that protects people and has a robust data security architecture.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul said, “The Arogya Setu app, is a sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a pvt operator, with no institutional oversight – raising serious data security & privacy concerns. Technology can help keep us safe, but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent,”.
In a sharp reaction to Rahul’s charge, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said , “Daily a new lie. Aarogya Setu is a powerful companion which protects people. It has a robust data security architecture. Those who indulged in surveillance all their lives, won’t know how tech can be leveraged for good!.”
AICC media in charge Randeep Surjewala said various experts have raised multiple issues of privacy regarding Aarogya Setu app. “We are looking at the privacy issues, as also the compulsory deduction of amount and hopefully within next 24 hours we will come with a more comprehensive and a calibrated response on the issue. But, these are areas of concern, we have noted,” he said at a press conference.
The mobile application helps users identify whether they are at risk of COVID-19 infection.
It also provides people with important information, including ways to avoid coronavirus and recognise its symptoms.
The central government has made it compulsory for all its employees to download the app and urged private entitles to also ask their employees to use it as well. (UNI)
