There are around 9.8 crore app users and data of only the nearly 13,000 COVID positive people is stored in the system which too is deleted 60 days after the date of cure, a senior government official said.
Amid criticism over the privacy issue and user data of Aarogya Setu app, the government on Monday said ‘Privacy first’ has been the principle on which the app has been developed and its has been playing and will continue to play a crucial role in India's fight against COVID-19.
Addressing a media briefing, Ajay Sawhney, Chairman of Empowered Group 9 which deals with Technology and Data Management, said the Aarogya Setu App has been developed in order to make proper health data on testing and contact tracing available to health professionals and administrators.
"The app has been developed in order to alert people before they come in contact with infected patients, it also enables self-assessment. The government uses information on users in the Aarogya Setu app, only for health interventions, not for any other purpose. Privacy is a very important feature of the app," Sawhney said.
He informed that there are around 9.8 crore app users and data of only the nearly 13,000 COVID positive people is stored in the system which too is deleted 60 days after the date of cure.
Around 1.4 lakh Aarogya Setu App users have been alerted via blue-tooth contact tracing about a possible risk of infection due to proximity to infected patients, he added.
"Personal identity of AarogyaSetu app users is not revealed to anyone, it is being used only for protecting the user and others from COVID19. Location data is used in order to facilitate containment actions and to protect the community," he said.
When two Aarogya Setu app users come in contact, information of one contact is stored in the other person's device in encrypted form, the official said, adding that this is stored in the server only when the user becomes COVID-19 positive.
Explaining further the working of the app, he explained that a unique anonymous randomized ID is generated for the device of a new user, only this ID is used, name of the user is not used by the app.
"The movement history of positive patients is combined with the self-assessment data submitted by others, to enable identification of potential hot spot areas and take preventive action; Information on 697 such spots have been sent to states/districts," he added.
He informed that Aarogya Setu IVRS platform has been enabled for feature phones and landlines, on giving a missed call on the number 1921, a return call will be given and further assistance will be given.
When data of Bluetooth contacts and self-assessment is received, they are called to find out their condition and needy patients are directed to health and district administration.
Another app has been developed by the government which enables field level officers to mark hotspots and containment zones on the map, so that required guidelines can be enforced in that area
"COVID-19 Saavdhaan enables giving alerts to people in a small area, Quarantine Alert System helps quarantine monitoring and Migration system helps people who migrate from one place to another," he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Representational image")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}