As coronavirus cases continue to mount in the country, governments are taking steps to ensure that the spread of the virus is reduced. Governments are also releasing new apps to ensure that people can track cases around them with ease and get accurate information.
With different apps for different states, one thing they all facilitate is tracking. However, there are also concerns about data privacy and storage with these apps.
Here’s a list of apps that aim to combat Coronavirus and disseminate accurate information, and also a brief look at their privacy policies.
COVA Punjab
The Coronavirus Alert (COVA) App was developed by the Government of Punjab. It lets users view the real-time dashboard for Punjab as well as India.
Users can also screen themselves and check for any possible symptoms of Coronavirus using the app. COVA Punjab also contains information about hospitals in the state, information and FAQs about the virus.
The Privacy Policy of the app details the data that it is collecting from the users: personal, demographic, location, device, and other similar data is collected for the necessary analytics. The policy states that data will not be shared with third parties.
Mahakavach
Mahakavach was launched by the Government of Maharashtra. It is a digital contact tracing app for the spread of Coronavirus in the state.
According to the developers, the app “helps citizens to contribute and assist in tracing the contacts with the potential risk of COVID-19 by helping Health administration.”
The app requires an authorisation code after which you can submit your quarantine status to the state government.
The Privacy Policy claims to collect certain personally identifiable information and also states that it uses third-party services. However, the app says that they cannot guarantee absolute security as no data transmission over the internet is 100 percent secure.
COVID-19 Quarantine Monitor Tamil Nadu
Similar to the Quarantine Watch app for Karnataka citizens, the COVID-19 Quarantine Monitor is for all those people who are under home quarantine in Tamil Nadu.
The idea behind the app is to enable the government as well as the users to track and monitor live locations of those kept under home quarantine.
Users can log in to the app with a Tamil Nadu-registered phone number.
The app does not have a Privacy Policy page so it is unclear what kind of measures it takes for storing personal data.
Quarantine Watch
Developed by the Government of Karnataka, Quarantine Watch is exclusively for those who are under home quarantine. It aims to track and monitor the location of Karnataka citizens kept under home quarantine by health officials.
Users can sign in and access the app with a Karnataka-registered phone number.
We couldn’t find the Privacy Policy for this app, therefore it is unclear what kind of data collection and storage practices it uses.
Corona Watch
Corona Watch is also developed by the Government of Karnataka. It claims that it shows the locations of Coronavirus affected patients and their movement history of 14 days.
The idea behind the app is to enable citizens to see which parts of the country the affected patients have travelled to and therefore, it is best to avoid going to those places.
The app asks for location data and therefore, shows the nearest hospitals and also sample collection centres and testing labs for coronavirus.
Similar to the Mahakavach app, Corona Watch also collects certain personally identifiable information like Name, Mobile Number, Address, Gender and GPS location. The Privacy Policy also states that data collected is retained by the developers but certain third parties that the app uses may have access to this data.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)