Covid-19: India virus-track app gets 50 million users amid privacy concerns

Aarogya Setu compares unfavourably with TraceTogether, according to the Internet Freedom Foundation. While other apps just collect one data point which is subsequently replaced with a scrubbed device identifier, Aarogya Setu collects multiple data points for personal and sensitive personal information which increases privacy risks. — AFP

An app launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to track and contain the spread of the coronavirus is the fastest ever to reach 50 million users, while being dogged by privacy concerns.

Aarogya Setu – Hindi for Healthcare Bridge – alerts users if they come in contact with an infected person and informs them about health services they could contact. It garnered 50 million users in 13 days, tweeted Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer at government think tank Niti Aayog. That’s the fastest pace for any app including Facebook, he said.