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New Delhi When India launched its coronavirus tracing app Aarogya Setu in April, it came with a mandatory download order for public sector workers.
That order soon spread to private sector workers and then to people living in designated Covid-19 containment zones — including Rajeev Ghosh, a 50-year old chemist who resides in Noida, a city east of the capital New Delhi. Back in May, he risked a six-month prison sentence or $15 fine for refusing to download the app. Ghosh didn't care: He had bigger concerns about the future use of his data."I am not sure how the government will use my data.
Teen cycles 750 miles to take her father home amid lockdown 02:40Air passengers are encouraged to download the app before flights, rail passengers need it for train travel, and some workers have been told they need it to do their jobs. But digital rights activists say the app carries more risks than it's worth, especially in a country where fewer than 35% of people have the cellphones able to support it.
India reopens domestic air travel with precautions 02:24However, in 2018 a journalist discovered a security breach which disclosed citizens' personal details. The government introduced new security measures, but the scandal eroded trust in its ability to keep data safe.Before easing off its compulsory download order, India was the only democratic country that made it mandatory for millions of citizens to download the app.
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