May 6: Since the coronavirus outbreak in China and the widespread all across the world, governments were busy finding a way to determine the presence of the virus. Self-isolation is the counter weapon to the virus, but unfortunately, not everyone follows the government’s instructions.

That is why the India government, as in many other countries, decided to build an app that will determine COVID-19 presence nearby using Bluetooth. However, since we live in digital times where we’ve seen a lot of unauthorized use of personal data, people are a bit skeptical when it comes to sharing their location with others.

Huge tech companies are shaping the digital world, and we see new privacy regulations every day. The problem is that the world is facing the problem with digital privacy at this scale for the first time, and since more than 60% of peopleuse social media or other apps that might gather personal information, it becomes a heaven for hackers that might abuse the information.

A new appcalled Aarogya Setu

In this case, the app is called Aarogya Setu, and it was launched by the Indian government a few weeks ago. The app’s primary goal is to determine the potential risks of infected people based on their location and their medical and travel history using Bluetooth and location services to track the user’s movement. All of the things mentioned before raising huge privacy concerns since we are talking about sensitive information that someone can abuse.

However, the trouble came when a directive issued by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said that the Aarogya Setu app would be mandatory for all employees, private and public. This means that you must share your personal information with other people, and there are no excuses.

The ministry said that they are aiming at 100 percent coverage of this app among all employees, and it is the best way to fight against the latest pandemic.

From the first launch of this app, it was made mandatory for food delivery workers and other service providers, as well as all government employees.

So, why it is a concern?

The issue becomes deeper when Digital rights organizations like Internet Freedom Foundation called the app “privacy minefield” and said that the app does not follow basic principles of minimization like transparency, accountability, and limitation.

They also add that the app, with its huge expansion, might become a permanent surveillance architecture, where people will be tracked constantly. To sum up, it’s gambling with your data, like if you were playing slots online on BetAmerica.com.

As an argument to their statement, government officials said that the personal data gathered by the app is encrypted using state-of-the-art technology and stays secured on the phone until someone needs medical intervention.

Aarogya Setu is the best way to determine if you crossed paths with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus and crucial for preventing further spread.

India has more than 45,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 1,500 deaths. On the other hand, Aarogya Setu has more than 80 million downloads, which is a small fraction of the 500 million smartphone users in India.

Many countries introduced different apps to keep track of people’s risk of involving in high traffic places. In China, for instance, the Health Code app shows the state of users and if they have developed any symptoms, and it is mediatory before entering the subway or checking into a hotel.

Aarogya Setu works with very similar principles where people must have a “safe” or “low-risk” status in order to go to work.

Officials say that Aarogya Setu is a necessary technological invasion of privacy in order to achieve a larger social purpose. The digital privacy organization says that so far, all of the apps in the world are designed for pandemic prevention, and we cannot see traces of personal information abuse.

Maybe this is how the world will function in the future. We’ll all have a digital ID, and you will get information about nearby people that might put you in risk due to health transmitting diseases.

It is one of the best ways to fight the pandemic, and the app will work more effectively if more people participate. Hopefully, this trend won’t turn out to be something that abuses our personal information.