India fighting COVID-19 the “mass surveillance” way

   In addition to a country-wide lockdown, India is has been experimenting with technology that will help them control the spread of COVID-19. On April 2, the government launched its COVD-19 mobile tracking app, Aarogya Setu. The app, which alerts users when they are within six feet of a person infected with the coronavirus, is creating major concerns about potential digital security issues.

   It also alerts government authorities if a person's tracked details — such as recent travel to any country with high infection rate or medical symptoms — draw suspicion.

   In a series of tweets, Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific adviser to the Indian government, says the app will let citizens know if they accidentally come in contact with infected people around them. In one of the tweets, he also advised the users to keep the phone Bluetooth turned on and “always” share their location.

   Aarogya Setu is also only one of 11 official apps that the federal and provincial governments have launched to fight COVID-19. Another app, Corona Kavach, has also drawn criticism over privacy issues. In an article on the Hindu, journalist Suhasini Haidar wrote:

   The government’s efforts to monitor people advised quarantine for the novel coronavirus ran into privacy issues on Friday, after the database of hundreds of passengers who returned from “coronavirus affected countries” was leaked online and shared by social media groups. In addition, the government defended its newly launched pilot or beta version of a mobile phone application called “Corona Kavach” which uses the data of confirmed corona virus patients to alert subscribers when they are in close proximity.

  

   When many of the recent government approaches in India blur the line between scientific approaches to fight COVID-19 and the protection of individual rights, the rushed use of technology troubling. India is one of many countries using technology to help stymie the spread of the virus. Joseph Cannataci, United Nations special rapporteur on the right to privacy, expressed concerns on how countries are enforcing strict surveillance and other measures during the pandemic that are dangerous to individual freedom.