Congress Red Flags Aarogya Setu App over Data Breach, Privacy Concerns

New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) Raising concerns over data security and privacy issues in use of the Aarogya Setu App, the Congress on Wednesday alleged that it was like a "surveillance camera" over everyone and could lead to serious breach of privacy.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked the government to clarify on the security and privacy concerns raised over the application, especially after an ethical hacker has pointed out its alleged flaws.

"The Aarogra Setu App is as if a surveillance camera is on your head, which is telling the app as also app's operators where are you going, who are you meeting and for how long are you meeting, this itself is a gross breach of privacy," Surjewala said at a press conference.  

"I think there are genuine privacy issues that the Government is refusing to answer despite an ethical hacker now justifying it and CERT (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) contacting. If there was no problem, why was CERT contacting the ethical hacker? These are the questions that still lie unanswered," he asked.

The government has, however, claimed that the coronavirus tracking app Aarogya Setu was "secure" and there was no privacy breach by its use.

Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad rejected the charges that the coronavirus-related application was a "sophisticated surveillance system" that was leveraged to track citizens without their consent.

The government's assertion also came a day after French hacker and cyber security expert Elliot Alderson claimed that "a security issue has been found" in the app and that "privacy of 90 million Indians is at stake".

Asked about the concerns, Surjewala said a leading ethical hacker has pointed out serious privacy flaws in the Aarogya Setu App and has also said the problems in it pointed out by Rahul Gandhi were absolutely correct.

He said the Supreme Court has recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right, but the Aarogya Setu App keeps a complete track of your entire movements throughout the day, including the person that an individual meets and also the period for which the meeting took place.

He said the Aarogya Setu App has been developed not by the Government and its engineers but by Goibibo and MakeMyTrip founders.

"We all know that Goibibo and MakeMyTrip have close to 40 per cent Chinese ownership and now this app is also being operated finally by private operators. How are you so sure that privacy cannot be breached then," he asked.

Surjewala said the App has a back end human interface because of which a person can be described as from a red, orange or green zone. "So, if they do not like anyone, someone can by mischief term them as red...and (that person) will virtually be quarantined. Where is the security for this?" he asked.

He also said the data of this app is stored on a cloud server, but asked where that server is, whether in China, Korea, Japan, or India. "That question has not been answered," he said.

"Lastly, none less than the Indian Army itself has come forward and warned its officers of Pakistan replicating a similar app and consequently attempting to steal the data," he alleged. PTI SKC RDM RDM 05062255 NNNNelebration will be appropriate in these strange times of sports.

But it will be different.

“The way we travel to the event, the way we enter the event, move about in the event, the way we leave an event is going to be different,” said John Bobo, NASCAR vice president of racing operations. "Our two big things are social distancing and the other is compartmentalization.

“We're going to have one-way walkways for people, our rules strictly enforced,” he added.

"If people aren't complying with our rules for masks and social distancing, they will be removed from the premises.”

It will be strange times for a sport that became popular in part because fans can watch teams work, walk next to a driver in a pack of autograph seekers and even stand behind a pit stall as cars speed by on the track.

Other sports have soldiered on without fans, including bull riding and horse racing, and UFC has events planned beginning May 9 in Florida. But NASCAR, with its sprawling 36-race schedule from coast to coast and TV exposure, is drawing far more attention as it sets plans.

If NASCAR has any sort of setback, the ripple effect could harm IndyCar as it attempts to start its season June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. Miles said the onus isn't only on NASCAR to get it right but every aspect of the reopening must be safe.

“On any front, it's a setback to everything if things don't go well, and for us, we think (NASCAR returning) is a great learning opportunity,” Miles said.

“Anything we learn, they are going to know. Anything they learn, we are going to learn. It's a great opportunity for all of us to be smarter.”

Bigger questions loom nearly every weekend for motorsports. For IndyCar, the Indianapolis 500 won't be run on Memorial Day weekend for the first time since since 1945 and no one knows if the usual 300,000-thousand plus spectators will be allowed in August.

Roger Penske now owns IndyCar and is also owner of a prominent three-car NASCAR team. The 83-year-old Penske will have seen NASCAR run at least four elite Cup Series races before IndyCar is scheduled at Texas.

“Mr. Penske obviously is now kind of in charge of what's happening,” said Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi.

“I think he'll implement the good things and kind of learn from the things that don't work, come up with a plan that is suitable for us.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)