Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the Aarogya Setu app is a ‘sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a private operator with no institutional oversight and raises data security and privacy concerns’.
He said in a tweet that technology can help people stay safe but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent.
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.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 2, 2020
“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,” he wrote.
In a prompt reply to his allegations, Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted that ‘Aarogya Setu is a powerful companion which protects people. It has a robust data security architecture.’
Aarogya Setu is now being appreciated globally. The App is NOT outsourced to any private operator.
Mr. Gandhi really high time that you stop outsourcing your tweets to your cronies who do not understand India.— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) May 2, 2020
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had said that Aarogya Setu app is the best scientific instrument to alert people if some COVID-19 infected person is nearby and there should be no concern over privacy-related issues.
This came in response to AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks in which he raised privacy-related concerns.
ALSO READ: COVID-19 | Top 10 developments in India this Saturday
Javadekar said the app is being preferred worldwide over other means of tracking and mapping the pandemic. It alerts people if some COVID-19 infected person is near them. This is the best scientific instrument. There is nothing of privacy-related matter and information to be collected,” he told ANI.
“There is no information actually. If you have a cough, a cold or tested positive, then only you have to fill up the information. The app will continue for the next one or two years. The lockdown will be over soon but this app will be a permanent help till we win the war against this pandemic,” said Javadekar.
Aarogya Setu app was launched in public-private partnership and enables people to themselves assess the risk for their catching the coronavirus infection. The app makes its calculations based on a person’s interaction with others, using Bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
(With ANI inputs)