[rpunwani]

Voted yes as it is mandatory at our workplace & hopefully provides information if an affected individual is in proximity.

No issues regarding privacy.

[SJQIL87]

Originally Posted by JojyKerala

Hi. Have offices and regular office hours resumed in Technopark? I was under the impression that Technopark is still out of bounds during the 3rd lockdown phase and all companies are work from home.

Companies can work with 50% staff. Regular office hours not resumed and most of us are working from home. I seldom goes there when I have some urgent works to do because of poor internet connectivity in my native place

[535dinesh]

Voted No. I don't see this app is of much useful with its current functionality. All the statistics its displaying is getting updated late. There is no trustworthiness with this app as it asks us to keep Bluetooth on

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by sunnsood

...and being asked to do so if they want their salaries credited.

This is precisely wherein the thin line between a guidance and a rule gets blurred. If someone's salary is going to be dependent on whether you have installed the app or not, thats outright ridiculous.

On a lighter note: If any authority makes such rule mandatory, they should also credit double salary if I install the app on my secondary phone too. That will settle the matter and convert all nay-sayers to start supporting the app.

[AWD]

Voted NO. The name itself is enough for me to Dislike. Also its a mark of protest against Govt. trying to shove the app down everyones throat & gag other sources of Covid reporting.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Looks like they are taking the choice out of our hands.

https://m.hindustantimes.com/tech/no...xwZyL_amp.html



Looking at how this government functions I am pretty sure they will make it mandatory soon.

'Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely'

Isnt this the logical next step? Gradually various govt. services will start getting linked to this. Then they will change the name to something else. By that time, you will not have any option but to install it.

Originally Posted by sunnsood

I installed in due to company policy. So did my wife who is a teacher and being asked to do so if they want their salaries credited.

Looks like its already started.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by theMandarin

Privacy shouldn't be an all or nothing approach. In some cases its about risk vs reward (e.g. TikTok) but the decision should lie with the user.


So by extension if a person is opting to not use these services and forgoing their advantages, they should have an option not to use this app as well don't they?

I think you got distracted by mention of other more intrusive apps however my point was the capability to track and trace was always there with govt of India for almost 20 years so they actually don't need Arogya Setu for that. One may choose not to install however doesn't actually prevent any agency from tracking if they want.

Secondly there is a difference between a sovereign govt of my own country or whatever country i choose to live in ( whichever party is in power does not matter) and a TikTok and FB.

One thing I did not understand from your post why Singapore version of app is any better than Arogya Setu ? Or how Google Apple version is protecting privacy any better ?

Yes they have notifications and disclaimers but that is legalese to protect skin if someone sues them in litigation friendly country.

On a Side note
Seeing permissions of Arogya Setu it is actually not collecting any data like Zoom or TikTok or FB

[skendora]

Voted Yes. Have a spare device in which I have installed the app. It serves me no purpose as of now, but it'll probably be made compulsory at least until the current situation is under control.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by amitk26

I think you got distracted by mention of other more intrusive apps however my point was the capability to track and trace was always there with govt of India for almost 20 years so they actually don't need Arogya Setu for that. One may choose not to install however doesn't actually prevent any agency from tracking if they want.

You are right in that the track and trace was there earlier as well. But that was for a specific person(s) for a specific period of time. Now we have crossed the computing threshold to track almost everyone everytime.

Many people mentioned that they are fine with this for a pandemic situation like this. Can someone justify why the app is mandatory for someone to get their salary due?

[JojyKerala]

Originally Posted by SJQIL87

Companies can work with 50% staff. Regular office hours not resumed and most of us are working from home. I seldom goes there when I have some urgent works to do because of poor internet connectivity in my native place

Thanks for the update. Yes, poor network connectivity at native is a problem that we face as well when we work from home.

[theMandarin]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

If you are ready to update every sneeze, cough and burp in FB while also tagging location; Post selfies of self, friends and their dog on Instagram or for that matter, happily fill out your life information when applying for a FOREN visa (E.g: DS160 for a US), then I don't see any reason for not sharing location and basic health information with a democratically elected government.

Everything that you mentioned is VOLUNTARY. Even the Visa part; i am certain there will be people who do not wish to visit the United Kingdom possibly out of resentment for their past actions and they can choose not to apply for a Visa.

Even for other services that have become integral to our lives, E.g. Google Maps or Uber, it is difficult to live without them but not impossible.

But in this case, its becoming next to impossible to get back to our lives without having this piece of technology.

We should abide by the orders and we do while having faith that they are in our best interest. But its fair to expect these orders to be reasonable and inclusive where we don't run the risk of being hit with a cane for having an old phone.

Originally Posted by samdarshi.pali

The Arogya Setu app mentions the data is stored on a mobile device. Except in cases where an individual is Covid-19 infection is detected then his data is stored on government servers for 45 days.

What other app lists their use of personal data with such clarity?

Almost every app lists the terms of usage for our personal data although i agree on the point that it may not be as clearly described.
That being said, the privacy policy governing this app is being updated periodically which is both, good and bad.

From what i could gather online, the policy had an explicit section waiving off any liability in case of a false diagnosis, it might have been changed now.
Arogya Setu App Gets Revised Privacy Policy

How often do we review these policy changes ? I'm sure most of us would have seen a banner on Google informing us that their policies have changed. We ignore that with a certain combination of disregard/trust.
But are laws meant to be made the same way?

Originally Posted by amitk26

Secondly there is a difference between a sovereign govt of my own country or whatever country i choose to live in ( whichever party is in power does not matter) and a TikTok and FB.

Exactly.
The most trouble we can get into by not having FB is that we miss out on wishing our boss on his/her birthday. I'm sure we'll still get our salary even if it compromises ones' chances for a promotion but we see a different case here:

Originally Posted by sunnsood

I installed in due to company policy. So did my wife who is a teacher and being asked to do so if they want their salaries credited.

Originally Posted by amitk26

One thing I did not understand from your post why Singapore version of app is any better than Arogya Setu ? Or how Google Apple version is protecting privacy any better ?

Yes they have notifications and disclaimers but that is legalese to protect skin if someone sues them in litigation friendly country.

Glad you asked.

To start with we can have a look at this comparison:
How Google and Apple's updated Contact Tracing terms compare with Aarogya Setu

Overall the main differentiators are:

• Having the choice not to install it
• Not relying on a GPS feed
• Having a defined lifetime until when this app will be used
• Transparency and clarity on what data is available to whom

The following resource elaborates more on this:
FAQs covering the Apple/Google approach
Is Aarogya Setu privacy-first?

Originally Posted by amitk26

On a Side note
Seeing permissions of Arogya Setu it is actually not collecting any data like Zoom or TikTok or FB

Yet

Most of us have nothing to hide anyway so we should not be apprehensive if and when we are asked to use these 'smartwatches', even if it's because of a false-positive:
People-tracking wristbands tested to enforce lockdown - BBC
Arogya Setu wristbands to monitor patients’ movements - Economic Times

As illustrated in this exciting documentary film from the yesteryear's , its's quite difficult to stop a moving train.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D71mB9ly3Wo

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by theMandarin

Everything that you mentioned is VOLUNTARY. Even the Visa part; i am certain there will be people who do not wish to visit the United Kingdom possibly out of resentment for their past actions and they can choose not to apply for a Visa.

Even for other services that have become integral to our lives, E.g. Google Maps or Uber, it is difficult to live without them but not impossible.

Probably you didnt read my post in full. Google collects lot of data in the background that needs to be turned off explicitly. So its not exactly voluntary. You need to dig deep into settings to disable such tracking which many people don't even know.

Also for the Visa part. What if your company wants to send you on a Work Permit. Will it still be voluntary? If so, please tell me which company gives so much freedom and I am willing to switch.

[HammerHead]

Its a YES for me as I already have a bunch of App's which probably are tracking everything in my life.

I'm not even sure what security threat those app's may pose! Privacy - Who cares when my whole life is on Facebook, remaining on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

My email, location, name, work profile, what I search, what I buy etc etc is all captured/used/sold by those app's I use so why discriminate 'The Aarogya Setu' app which is a temporary tool to keep you informed and safe during these troubled times?

Note : All my bank/financial transactions are being operated from another phone where I don't have any other app's

[theMandarin]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Probably you didnt read my post in full. Google collects lot of data in the background that needs to be turned off explicitly. So its not exactly voluntary. You need to dig deep into settings to disable such tracking which many people don't even know.

Also for the Visa part. What if your company wants to send you on a Work Permit. Will it still be voluntary? If so, please tell me which company gives so much freedom and I am willing to switch.

I did read it in full.

Many people don't know how to disable these data gathering features but some do. In this case, these well informed (if i may call them) individuals cannot use these tools if they wish to remain employed. Before you suggest disabling the GPS/Bluetooth forcefully, there's a counter on the app that records until when these settings were active and it's only natural that it will eventually be a part of your 'safe status' determination criteria.

On the Visa part, you may not want to believe this but i do have an option to forego the opportunity. Will anyone accept any Onsite deputation to Italy today?
So you see, i have a choice.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Also for the Visa part. What if your company wants to send you on a Work Permit. Will it still be voluntary?

Yes it is voluntary as you can opt NOT TO go abroad on a Work Permit. No company can force you. It is your choice. If going abroad on a work permit, enhances your growth options or experience or aids your nature of work, it is your call that you take.

However, if your company would link your salary to the app then its wrong. There is a fine line here.

Look at the latest news - For Indians stuck abroad, who would be "rescued" by the Indian Government, it is mandatory for them to have the app. Perfectly fine as the government is taking an action specifically for you and expects you to do something in return. Its a give and take.

But if you have worked in a government or private organization and they will block your rightfully earned salary if you do not install the app then it crossing the line.

We need to clearly distinguish steps where over-zealous authorities would cross the line and get into abusing the facility.