The Government of India has revealed an App called Aarogya Setu which is designed to warn the user if they have been in close proximity of a COVID-19 positive person. The app was developed via a public-private partnership under the aegis of NIC by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEiTY).
The Aarogya app puts privacy and promises to share your data (location and health) with the government only and is available in 11 languages.
The tracks via Bluetooth and GPS to determine if you have been near an infected person or not. The app uses your data (encrypted) to know your location and the area around you. It then tallies that with the database to tell you if your location is under the infected areas of the database.
The Bluetooth needs to always stay “On” as it determines if you have been within six feet of an infected person.
The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or the Google Play store. The first initialization of the app will ask you to register with your mobile number. The app will then scan your location. It will then let you know if You are safe or not and also will let you know the risk of coronavirus in your area. The app has other features like the number of all the COVID-19 help centres, a self-assessment test and information such as do’s and don’ts. It also has the twitter page of The Ministry of Health embedded and shows you information tweets from the ministry itself.
The main motive behind the launch of this app is to limit the spread of the COVID-19 cases in India via technology and AI as well as, help create self-awareness among the citizens with relevant information on the infection.