India¡¯s official contact tracing app surely getting popular among people with Aarogya Setu app registering over a 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
But Aarogya Setu app has also been surrounded by privacy concerns, forcing many people to avoid using it.
A few weeks ago we saw MIT Technology Review, compare Aarogya Setu with other contact tracing apps developed by nations around the world and gave the app a score of 2 out of 5, failing in three parameters. And now, reports claim that the rating has dropped even further.
Let¡¯s refresh your memory a bit with MIT¡¯s scoring parameters. It added five parameters, each parameter awarding the app a star -- whether the app is voluntary or compulsory, whether data is being used for purposes other than health, does it also has use it for law enforcement, whether the data collected by the app is deleted after a specified time, whether the app only collects data for what it¡¯s supposed to and whether the process is transparent.
From these five parameters, Aarogya Setu only got two stars, clearing only two of the aforementioned parameters -- for the policy related to data deletion and that the data collection of data for health. The app fails in parameters talking about its use for law enforcement, transparency and being voluntary.
However, now, MIT review has revealed that it will be pulling off another star for the ¡®data minimisation¡¯ parameter which indicated that the app collects more data than the information it needs for the purpose of contact tracing.
One thing to note is that MIT hasn¡¯t revised its parameter for the voluntary aspect of the app, since earlier this week, authorities announced that the app is no longer mandatory for employees working in offices, as well as people in containment zones. It is however mandatory for the user to be registered in case he/she is travelling through train or aircraft.
It hasn¡¯t offered any clarification on this element too. Maybe since it is still mandatory for some people they¡¯re not reflecting their scores, but that¡¯s just what we think.
Have you used the app? How has your experience been like? Tell us in the comments below.?