RS Prasad slams Rahul Gandhi for 'Aarogya Setu' criticism, dismisses privacy concerns

Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for the latter's criticism of the Aarogya Setu app. Dismissing Gandhi's claim that the app had no "institutional oversight", Prasad asserted that Aarogya Setu had a "robust data security architecture". Moreover, he took a dig at the Congress party for allegedly indulging in surveillance during its tenure at the Centre. Maintaining that the app had not been outsourced to any private operator, he highlighted that it was useful for the protection of people. Taunting Rahul Gandhi, the Union Minister asked him to refrain from "outsourcing" his tweets to persons having limited knowledge of India. 

Read: COVID-19: Telangana Police Cautions About Fraudsters Creating Fake Aarogya Setu Apps

Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India Sees Sharpest 1-day Spike With 2411 Cases; Tally At 37776

Aarogya Setu app compulsory for public and private sector employees

In the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the post-May 3 lockdown period, it is compulsory for all public and private sector employees to download the Aarogya Setu app. The head of the organization has been made responsible for ensuring 100% coverage of the app among the employees. Furthermore, the guidelines state that all residents living in a containment zone must download the app. 

Read: "Well Said", PM Modi Responds To Ajay Devgn's Tweet Calling Aarogya Setu His 'Bodyguard'

What is the Aarogya Setu app? 

Originally introduced in early April, the contact tracing app has seen over 50 million downloads already. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers have repeatedly encouraged the usage of Aarogya Setu. Basically, the app compiles user location and Bluetooth data to help the individual user and the government trace potential COVID-19 cases. Some experts have raised concerns over the app needing far more data than necessary and the use of GPS-based location data. However, NITI Aayog has defended the app and clarified that the location data was being used on an aggregated basis. 

Read: Govt Employees To Download Aarogya Setu App, Commute After Checking 'risk' Status: Centre