Coronavirus: Aarogya Setu app crosses 50 million users

Coronavirus (COVID-19): The app, which tells users when they have come into contact with a high-risk or COVID-19 positive person, also determines a risk assessment for each user.

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The app tracks its users’ “interaction with others”, and alerts authorities if there was any suspicion of the user having been in contact with any infected person. (File Photo/Representational)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): The Aarogya Setu app has crossed 50 million downloads within 13 days of its launch, leading government officials to claim it is the fastest growing app in the world.

“Telephone took 75 years to reach 50 million users, radio 38 yrs,television 13 yrs, Internet 4 yrs, Facebook 19 months, Pokemon Go 19 days. #AarogyaSetu, India’s app to fight COVID-19 has reached 50 mn users in just 13 days — fastest ever globally for an App. Salute the spirit of India!,” tweeted Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

On Tuesday, sources told The Indian Express that developers had sent the collected data to the National Centre for Disease Control to cross-verify the findings.

READ | World Bank praises India’s Aarogya Setu COVID-19 app

The app, which tells users when they have come into contact with a high-risk or COVID-19 positive person, also determines a risk assessment for each user. Plugging into Indian Council Medical Research Data on positive cases, the app will be used by the government to determine hotspots, developers said.

They also said a new feature to integrate e-passes with the app is ready. The app will also integrate information about Suraksha Stores, a government initiative to convert local kirana stores into sanitised retail outlets.

How to use Aarogya Setu app

While defence personnel have been advised to download it, caution would need to be exercised considering the sensitivity of their postings. The app requires location services and Bluetooth to be left on at all times, but cybersecurity policies of the services would not allow that. Service personnel have been “advised not to use app in office premises/ operational areas/ sensitive locations”.

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The app updated its privacy policy Sunday. While the original policy listed that it would delete the data from the phone every 30 days if the user is not deemed to be at risk, the new policy adds that data will be deleted from the server (not just the phone) after 45 days if the user is not COVID-19 positive and 60 days for positive patients who have recovered.

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