Protection or threat? Experts say Aarogya Setu poses national security risk
4 years, 7 months ago

Protection or threat? Experts say Aarogya Setu poses national security risk

Hindustan Times  

Data of millions of Indians, collected through the Aarogya Setu app, could be vulnerable to threats from adversarial state and non-state actors and pose a national security challenge, according to cybersecurity experts and former intelligence officials. Sensitive data of our citizens is kept in a manner where there is no unauthorised access to the data,” said Abhishek Singh, CEO of MyGov, one of the government agencies involved in the Aarogya Setu project. Especially now, Aarogya Setu is a big topic in India,” said Baptiste Robert, a France-based cyber security researcher who is more commonly known by his nom de guerre Elliot Alderson. Robert first found flaws in an earlier version of the Indian app that allowed access to internal programme files, which could lead to an attacker accessing the data the Aarogya Setu collects.

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History of this topic

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted: Centre
1 year, 11 months ago

Aarogya Setu contact tracing data deleted: Centre

Hindustan Times  

All contact tracing data collected through the Aarogya Setu mobile application to locate potential cases of Covid-19 during the fight against the pandemic has been deleted, the Union government informed Parliament on Wednesday. Singh sought details of the current legislation governing the data collected via the application and whether the data collected by it till May 10, 2022, was deleted …

Aarogya Setu app contact-tracing data deleted: IT Ministry
1 year, 11 months ago

Aarogya Setu app contact-tracing data deleted: IT Ministry

The Hindu  

Contact-tracing data from the COVID-19 pandemic collected by the Aarogya Setu app has been deleted from government databases, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a written response in Parliament. “In accordance with the provisions of the, the contact-tracing feature of the Aarogya Setu mobile application has been discontinued and contact-tracing data collected through it has been deleted,” …

Government Says No Clue on Who Made Aarogya Setu App, Twitter Responds with Memes
4 years, 2 months ago

Government Says No Clue on Who Made Aarogya Setu App, Twitter Responds with Memes

News 18  

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Informatics Centre on Wednesday said they do not have any information about the “creation” of the Aarogya Setu application. The centre has come under attack over the lack of information about the developers of the Aarogya Setu app which used crucial data of users like location, etc. pic.twitter.com/MD4QtXXrvC— Rofl Gandhi …

Aarogya Setu app developed in govt and private collaboration, clarifies Centre
4 years, 2 months ago

Aarogya Setu app developed in govt and private collaboration, clarifies Centre

Live Mint  

The Aarogya Setu contract tracing app has been developed in a collaborative effort of government and private sector, clarified the Central government on Wednesday. The CIC came into action after the NIC, NeGD and MeitY failed to furnish information regarding the creation and development of the Aarogya Setu app through an RTI. The Centre in its clarification said that there …

'Aarogya Setu App Does Not Detect COVID-19 & Is Meant For Intensive Surveillance', Says Plea In Bombay HC [Read Petition]
4 years, 5 months ago

'Aarogya Setu App Does Not Detect COVID-19 & Is Meant For Intensive Surveillance', Says Plea In Bombay HC [Read Petition]

Live Law  

Activist Sudeep Dalvi has moved the Bombay High Court against an order of the Deputy Collector, Margao-Goa, mandating the usage of Aarogya Setu App for entering the premises of the Collectorate building. The Petitioner, through Advocates Shashwat Anand, Shrinivas R. Khalap and Chintan Nirala, has contended that usage of the Aarogya Setu App is not backed or mandated by any …

Aarogya Setu now world's most downloaded covid-19 tracking app
4 years, 5 months ago

Aarogya Setu now world's most downloaded covid-19 tracking app

India Today  

Aarogya Setu has emerged as the world's most downloaded covid-19 tracing app, according to the latest report by Sensor Tower. But while the total number of downloads of the Aarogya Setu was the highest globally, India was the fourth country in terms of the adoption rate of the covid-19 tracking app. India secured the fourth position, registering the adoption of …

Government climbs down on Aarogya Setu by removing mandatory provision
4 years, 7 months ago

Government climbs down on Aarogya Setu by removing mandatory provision

Live Mint  

As the government plans to ease out lockdown restrictions from Monday, it climbed down on Aarogya Setu mobile application by removing the mandatory provision for the app’s download as earlier. Ministry of Home Affairs in its guidelines issued on Saturday about phase wise opening of lockdown said that the Aarogya Setu mobile application enables early identification of risk of infection, …

Aarogya Setu app is now open source: what does it mean?
4 years, 7 months ago

Aarogya Setu app is now open source: what does it mean?

The Hindu  

Aarogya Setu, India’s coronavirus contact-tracing and self-assessment app is now open source. Health Ministry launches Aarogya Setu IVRS facility for those without smartphones The Aarogya Setu app is used on Android phones by 98% of the registered users, and the source code for the Android app is currently available on GitHub, a collaboration platform for software developers, where code can …

Data | How safe is Aarogya Setu compared to COVID-19 contact tracing apps of other countries?
4 years, 7 months ago

Data | How safe is Aarogya Setu compared to COVID-19 contact tracing apps of other countries?

The Hindu  

According to a database maintained by MIT Technology Review, Aarogya Setu, India’s contact-tracing app to combat COVID-19, poses significant risks to the privacy of the user compared to similar apps in other countries. The apps in China and Turkey pose greater risks for user privacy than Aarogya Setu. The following table lists government-backed apps of 19 countries based on five …

Phishing attacks in name of Aarogya Setu app increasing: CERT-in
4 years, 7 months ago

Phishing attacks in name of Aarogya Setu app increasing: CERT-in

The Hindu  

Phishing attacks in the name of Aarogya Setu mobile application are witnessing a “high rise” as online scamsters are taking advantage of the increased inquisitiveness of internet users during the coronavirus pandemic, India’s cyber security agency said on Saturday. It said cyber attackers impersonate popular video platforms sucha as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Aarogya Setu app and WHO to …

Aarogya Setu Coronavirus contact tracing app now reaches JioPhone: Know details
4 years, 7 months ago

Aarogya Setu Coronavirus contact tracing app now reaches JioPhone: Know details

India TV News  

Aarogya Setu app is India's attempt to track Coronavirus-infected people and curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Aarogya Setu now available for JioPhone According to a report by Reuters, the Aarogya Setu app has been rolled out for 5 million JioPhones in the country by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This news comes after Aarogya Setu's …

Aarogya Setu key to making transition into post-lockdown period smooth, prevent loss of lives; doubts about privacy, security unnecessary
4 years, 7 months ago

Aarogya Setu key to making transition into post-lockdown period smooth, prevent loss of lives; doubts about privacy, security unnecessary

Firstpost  

Aarogya Setu is also reviewed by other foreign firms who often tend to be critical about indigenous technological efforts of India. Like many other countries, the Government of India has launched its own Aarogya Setu app for contact tracing and alert users if they come in proximity with a COVID-19 infected person. Thus, it is clear that the Aarogya Setu …

A quick look at the Aarogya Setu App and how it works
4 years, 7 months ago

A quick look at the Aarogya Setu App and how it works

Op India  

The Government of India has launched the Aarogya Setu App to assist the fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus. The user can set the radius at 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 5 km and 10 km and based on the radius set by the user, the app will show the number of individuals who have installed the app within the …

Surveillance system or Covid-19 tracker? Coronavirus tracing Aarogya Setu app raises privacy concerns in India
4 years, 8 months ago

Surveillance system or Covid-19 tracker? Coronavirus tracing Aarogya Setu app raises privacy concerns in India

Hindustan Times  

As India enters an extended coronavirus lockdown, the government is actively pursuing contact tracing to help control infections. In this Thursday, May 7, 2020 photo, an Indian man uses Aarogya Setu app on his mobile phone in New Delhi, India. In April, India launched the Aarogya Setu app, which helps people identify whether they have been near someone who tested …

Today’s cache | Security issue in Aarogya Setu app, and more
4 years, 8 months ago

Today’s cache | Security issue in Aarogya Setu app, and more

The Hindu  

India’s Aarogya Setu app has been flagged for security issue that will put data of 90 million Indians at risk, a cybersecurity expert says. Hacker finds security issue in Aarogya Setu App A French cybersecurity expert and ethical hacker, who goes by the name ‘Elliot Alderson,’ flagged security issues within the Aarogya Setu app. The team has also denied that …

Aarogya Setu: Phones without app will draw punishment for users in Noida, Greater Noida
4 years, 8 months ago

Aarogya Setu: Phones without app will draw punishment for users in Noida, Greater Noida

Live Mint  

The Covid-19 tracker—'Aarogya Setu' app—is now mandatory for all smartphone users in Noida and Greater Noida. The app has been made mandatory for government employees and private employees in the country and now Noida Police has issued an order that asks all residents to download Aarogya Setu on their smartphones. Not having the 'Aarogya Setu' app on smartphones while out …

Coronavirus Outbreak: Aarogya Setu team says 'no user data at risk' after French hacker raises concerns over 'security of 90 million Indians'
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus Outbreak: Aarogya Setu team says 'no user data at risk' after French hacker raises concerns over 'security of 90 million Indians'

Firstpost  

The official handle of Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app, developed by the National Informatics Centre, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, asserted late on Tuesday that “no personal information of any user has been proven to be at risk”. The official handle of the Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app, developed by the National Informatics Centre, under the Ministry of Electronics …

Sensitive nature of data validates privacy concerns over Centre's Aarogya Setu app; legislation with 'sunset clause' can curb potential misuse
4 years, 8 months ago

Sensitive nature of data validates privacy concerns over Centre's Aarogya Setu app; legislation with 'sunset clause' can curb potential misuse

Firstpost  

The Aarogya Setu app generates a unique ID for each user and it keeps a track of all other IDs coming in contact with it and the GPS location and time of said contact. The app generates a unique ID for each user and it keeps track of all other IDs coming in contact with it and the GPS location …

Workers sign petition urging govt to issue advisory clarifying that 'Aarogya Setu' app isn't mandatory
4 years, 8 months ago

Workers sign petition urging govt to issue advisory clarifying that 'Aarogya Setu' app isn't mandatory

Firstpost  

While launched as a voluntary measure, the app was recently made compulsory for Prasar Bharti and Indian Army employees. On 2 April, the government launched Aarogya Setu, a contact tracing app aimed at helping track and control the spread of COVID-19 in the country. This has moved workers across 37 organisations, including “labour unions, and 75 prominent individuals”, to sign …

‘Privacy minefield’: India COVID-19 app raises surveillance fears
4 years, 8 months ago

‘Privacy minefield’: India COVID-19 app raises surveillance fears

Al Jazeera  

Experts raise privacy concerns over government’s Aarogya Setu app, now mandatory for public and private sector workers. Indian authorities have made a contact-tracing mobile app mandatory for all public and private sector employees, raising concerns among digital rights experts about privacy and increased surveillance. “Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public,” …

All Central govt. officials to use Aarogya Setu app
4 years, 8 months ago

All Central govt. officials to use Aarogya Setu app

The Hindu  

All Central government officials, including the outsourced workforce, have been directed to immediately download the Aarogya Setu App on their mobile phones. The officials, through an office memorandum on Wednesday, have been told by the Department of Personnel and Training to review their status on the app before starting for office and commute only when it shows their status as …

Coronavirus | What are the concerns around the Aarogya Setu app?
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus | What are the concerns around the Aarogya Setu app?

The Hindu  

The story so far: On April 2, the AarogyaSetu app — for pan-India use and available in 11 languages — was launched as the main contact tracing technology endorsed by the Central government. The AarogyaSetu app faces the same issue as every other contact tracing technology that has come up during the pandemic period — it is people dependent. Jason …

Aarogya Setu not a magic tool; it breaches privacy
4 years, 8 months ago

Aarogya Setu not a magic tool; it breaches privacy

Deccan Chronicle  

On April 14, Prasar Bharati issued an office memorandum making it mandatory for its staff to install the Aarogya Setu app. There are apprehensions that the government may eventually make it compulsory, like Aadhaar once was, to run the downloaded app in order to either access government facilities and services or even to enter public spaces. This does not appear …

Army tells personnel to use cyber safety precautions while using Aarogya Setu app
4 years, 8 months ago

Army tells personnel to use cyber safety precautions while using Aarogya Setu app

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Indian Army has asked its personnel to use the Covid-19 contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu with caution while following all cyber security precautions. While urging download of the Aarogya Setu app, it advised personnel to avoid it in office premises, operational areas and sensitive locations. “Existing cyber security policies on usage of mobile phones must be adhered to …

India is pinning hopes on apps in virus fight
4 years, 9 months ago

India is pinning hopes on apps in virus fight

Live Mint  

In mid-March, at least two government teams in different parts of the country started ideating on how they could use digital technology to fight the fast-spreading pandemic. “That gave international validation to our idea,” said Arnab Kumar, Program Director, NITI Aayog and member of the Aarogya Setu team. “How well will the privacy protections work depends on the competence and …

Opinion | The privacy features that are built into Aarogya Setu
4 years, 9 months ago

Opinion | The privacy features that are built into Aarogya Setu

Live Mint  

The biggest challenge in dealing with covid-19 is that infected people are contagious long before they are visibly symptomatic. Last week, the Indian government launched an app called Aarogya Setu to try and use data science to solve this problem. Over the past two weeks, I have been advising the government on how best to design Aarogya Setu so that …

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