Aarogya Setu Coronavirus contact tracing app has gained a lot of popularity in a short span of time. The app is now on around 9.8 crore smartphones in the country and aims to curb the spread of COVID-19. In addition to this, it has also gained some negative publicity due to the security concerns raised. However, the Indian Government has now suggested that the app is completely safe to use. Read on to know more.
Aarogya Setu app is safe, says the government
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently given out a word on the Aarogys Setu app suggesting that the app is completely safe and used only for Coronavirus contact tracing. It is suggested that the app is only used for health interventions and personal identity of users isn't revealed. It is suggested that Aarogya Setu uses a user's location (if he or she is tested positive) to map the places visited in the past 14 days.
The data taken by the app is stored on the server for only 30 days and in the case of a COVID-19 positive person, the data is stored for 60 days until the person recovered. Following the data is deleted. Additionally, as per a tweet by Amitabh Kant (CEO Niti Aayog), the app has been validated by the Singaporean ethical hacker Frank Volkel.
In addition to this, information about 697 potential COVID-19 hotspots was generated through Aarogya Setu app as per the government.
For those who don't know, recently, ethical hacker Elliot Alderson suggested that the Aaorgya Setu app has security issues and isn't safe for users. The announcement was made via a tweet by Alderson. Following this, the Aarogya Setu team released an official statement claiming that the app is secure and by design takes users' location to track the spread of Coronavirus.
For those who still don't know, Aarogya Setu app makes use a user's location and Bluetooth to see if they have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive person or not. If this happens, it alerts the user to remain safe from the virus. It also allows you to self-assess the Coronavirus symptoms and even tell if you are Coronavirus positive so that others can be alerted of the same. The app is an easy-to-use one and you can know read this article to know how to use the app.
Additionally, if you haven't downloaded it yet, you can head to the Google Play Store or the App Store>Search for Aarogya Setu app>Select the option and press Install, and you are good to go.
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