India follows China's lead to widen use of coronavirus tracing app

iStock [illustration]

Narendra Modi-led government in India is being called out for pushing its contact-tracing app despite privacy flaws.

Many critics claim it's following the footsteps of China, which relies heavily on high-tech social control.

The Aarogya Setu app, much like other contact-tracing apps, uses Bluetooth signals on smartphones to limit people's movement and exposure to COVID-19.

However, it also uses GPS location data to build a centralised database, even though many countries have avoided doing so to protect the privacy of its users. 

That's not all. India has also become the only country to make the state-backed app mandatory for public and private sector workers. 

More from International

Coming Up on Dubai Eye

  • Extra Time

    7:00pm - 8:00pm

    Chris & Robbie bring you the latest from the sporting world plus interviews with upcoming and legendary sporting stars.

  • The Night Shift with Mark Lloyd

    8:00pm - 11:00pm

    Musicians and music, entertainers and entertainment, industry gossip and songs selected by you, get ready to bring your night time to life! Every evening from eight, Mark Lloyd brings you an energetic mix of local and international content and contests, featuring an array of celebrity interviews and entertaining anecdotes. Get involved in the show and pick your favourite jukebox hits, every night from 8pm - 11pm.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST LATEST

On Dubai Eye

  • Flying Taxis

    It sounds like an episode of The Jetsons, but the sight of flying taxis whizzing around our cities could be much closer than you think.

  • Tough penalties for deliberate tax evasion

    The UAE has said that tougher penalties will come into force from 1st August for not keeping proper corporate tax records.