Aarogya setu app to come pre-installed on Indian phones

Indian Government launched its native Coronavirus tracker, the “Aarogya Setu” app last month. The app has surpassed 80 Million downloads so far. And now, the government is asking smartphone makers to pre-install the app in their new devices.

According to the report, India’s Electronics and Information Technology Ministry (MeitY) has asked the phone manufacturers to pre-install the app in their devices. The information comes from a meeting recently held by the ministry, which had the presence of all stakeholders including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Foxconn and Wistron.

The Government of India is keen on pushing the Aarogya Setu app to the masses. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has talked about it in his recent “Mann ki Baat” session, as well as posting about it on social media like Twitter. He wants all the people in the country to download and register in the app for better monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic.

India has even issued strict orders for people working as central and state government employees to install the app. In cities where the Metro services exist, the CISF(Central Industrial Security Force) has instructed to install this app as a security measure.

However, some NGOs along with Digital Rights Organization, Internet Freedom Foundation(IFF) have expressed concerns about the security issues in the app alleging that the users might be illegally monitored by the government. We have to wait for the Government of India’s response to this claim.

Amidst all this, the smartphone manufacturers have been urging the government to issue orders for re-opening the factories but they remain shut since March. This situation is hurting the shareholders as they are at the risk of a deficit in the near future.