Aarogya Setu App Has Clocked 3 Crore Installs on Jio Phone

A special version of the Aarogya Setu app was launched for KaiOS last month, primarily used by Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2. According to a recent tweet by the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), it has been downloaded by 3 crore users. Additionally, the app has been downloaded over 10 crore times according to a Google Play Store listing.

The government had launched the Aarogya Setu app in India back in the month of April in an attempt to spread awareness and limit the spread of COVID-19. It is primarily a contact tracing app that uses Bluetooth and device location to trace your interaction with people who might have been or may test positive for COVID in the near future.

Soon after the launch, the app was lauded by the government as well as PM Narendra Modi himself. Soon after, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had made the Aarogya Setu app a compulsory installation on phones of all public sector and government employees, as well as private sector employees traveling to office. Ever since then, the app has been suspected of a variety of security concerns.

There has been a lot of debate around the privacy and surveillance aspects of the app, with critics suggesting that the app with its access to your location and Bluetooth proximity data, can be used for illegal surveillance.

Recently, renowned publication MIT Technology Review announced that they are working with experts around the world to understand what each COVID contact tracing app offers and the issues around it. As per our report from last month, it compared and ranked the Contact Tracing apps launched in 25 countries, including India’s Aarogya Setu that received just 2 out of 5 stars. The apps were being ranked on five parameters—is it voluntary or not, is it being solely used for public health purposes or there are usage scenarios for law enforcement, is the user data collected by the app deleted within a reasonable amount of time and whether the entire process is transparent.