By Arré Bench Oct. 28, 2020
The Aarogya Setu app was considered vital for India to fight the coronavirus. But who created it and how was it created? The Ministry of Electronics, National Informatics Centre, and National e-Governance Division apparently have no answers.
The Aarogya Setu app has been described by the government as an important tool in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The app was made mandatory for all government employees and citizens living in containment zones. The total downloads of the app have exceeded 150 million since the PM urged Indians to download it.
However, the Ministry of Electronics (MeitY), National Informatics Centre (NIC), and National e-Governance Division (NeGD) have all reportedly claimed to have no information about who created the Aarogya Setu app and how the website was created. Rip, data privacy. According to the Aarogya Setu website, the app was developed by the NIC and the Information Technology ministry.
[Breaking] Ministry Of Electronic, NIC And NeGD Have No Information About Who And How Created Arogya Sethu App: CIC Summons CPIOs @GoI_MeitY https://t.co/rHE0sHoe1f
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 28, 2020
Activist Saurav Das had stated in his complaint that the NIC, NeGD, and MeitY had failed to provide information about the creation of the Aarogya Setu app. The complainant had sought details including the origin of the proposal for the app as well as its approval details, companies involved, individuals and government departments included, and copies of communications between private people involved in developing the app.
The Applicant @OfficialSauravD has asked the following details in his RTI Application #ArogyaSetu @GoI_MeitY pic.twitter.com/mxzk11fW5j
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 28, 2020
The NIC reportedly said that the “entire file related to creation of the App is not with NIC”. The IT ministry transferred the query to the National e-Governance Division, which said, “The information sought is not related to (our division).”
The Central Information Commission has issued notice to the government for “evasive answers” on who created the Aarogya Setu app. The CIC on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to the CPIOs, MeitY, NIC, NeGD as to why penalty u/s 20 of the RTI Act should not be imposed on them for prima facie obstruction of information and providing an evasive reply on an RTI application related to Arogya Setu App.
Who Created Aarogya Setu? RTI Body Pulls Up Government Over Evasive Reply https://t.co/nwqBZx4GIS pic.twitter.com/oH1kDRxbaP
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 28, 2020
“The Commission directs the CPIO, NIC to explain this matter in writing as to how the website https://aarogyasetu.gov.in/ was created with the domain name gov.in, if they do not have any information about it,” Information Commissioner Vanaja N Sarna said in the order. “None of the CPIOs were able to explain anything regarding who created the App, where are the files, and the same is extremely preposterous”, the CIC stated.
While the commission didn’t comment on the privacy aspect of the complaint, it stated that “denial of information by all the concerned authorities cannot be accepted at all” as it is a current issue and it is not possible that there was no file movement while creating the App, a citizen cannot go round in circles to find out the custodian. The Commission also noted in its decision that the NeGD CPIO could not explain why it delayed responding to the RTI application for almost two months and that too informing that the information sought is not related to the department.
CIC fumes over the Ministry of Electronics & IT's cluelessness on who and how the Aarogya Setu App was created.
"Preposterous" "Breach of privacy cannot be completely ruled out", the CIC said in its order on my case.Big story breaking soon! @SaketGokhale @digitaldutta https://t.co/9Ijl99Sh7w
— Saurav Das (@OfficialSauravD) October 28, 2020
While some on Twitter made jokes, others slammed the government.
#AarogyaSetuApp is an Act of God
— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) October 28, 2020
Country's PM tells whole country to download an app. And his Ministry doesn't have a clue who made it. This is the level of thuggery going on in this country. What kind of weak dumb PM is this that his left hand doesn't know what right hand is doing? #AarogyaSetuApp
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) October 28, 2020
🙄😳👀 So Who Owns Our #AarogyaSetuApp Data ? https://t.co/ZY7rEpTNTI
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) October 28, 2020
Leaders from Congress brought up privacy issues raised by Rahul Gandhi.
When PM Modi was urging to download #AarogyaSetu app & when it was made compulsory at many places to have it handsets , @RahulGandhi on 2nd May raised security concerns over app .. once more he gets it right well before time .. #AarogyaSetuApp pic.twitter.com/69CYO2qMIN
— Niraj Bhatia (@bhatia_niraj23) October 28, 2020
Didn’t d honourable PM ask whole country to download this app. And his Ministry doesn't have a clue who made it. 🤭🤭🤔🤔#AarogyaSetuApp #ऐकावंतेनवलच 🙏🏼 #आरोग्यसेतु #NIC #AarogyaSetu https://t.co/r04XTWYUXx
— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) October 28, 2020
Information delivery and transparency are key to governance, and especially in sensitive matters like the collection and hosting of personal data. Citizens have a right to know about ownership of apps like Aarogya Setu and how they are protecting our data. The country downloaded the apps when politicians asked for it, now they must furnish the information when citizens ask for it.
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