Starting a new thread for #ArogyaSetuApp watch
Since this is emerging as a same aadhaar like voluntary mandatory push, via PMO & Nitiayog involvement.
Since this is emerging as a same aadhaar like voluntary mandatory push, via PMO & Nitiayog involvement.
Baseline
1. There is no success story for contract tracing via mobile will work.
2. Contact tracing is an experiment initiated by countries with high smartphone penetration
3. India's smartphone penetration is ~25% and max upto 35% (not counting people with multiple devices) .
1. There is no success story for contract tracing via mobile will work.
2. Contact tracing is an experiment initiated by countries with high smartphone penetration
3. India's smartphone penetration is ~25% and max upto 35% (not counting people with multiple devices) .
Bluetooth or GPS tracing with the help of an app makes it as a Smartphone only facility. There is no way a feature phone can do these. (Because we will soon hear about feature phone support just for the sake of inclusion claims, as we have seen USSD based UPI push as inclusion).
Health is a federal topic in india. States are in front end of this war. Health data also suppose to be a state affair. But contact tracing story so far is about Health related data centralization efforts combined with private interests playbooks.
Initial story is 2 government divisions making 2 apps . CoWin for Nitiayog, developed by Goibibo folks and Corona Kavach by NeGD under Meity. Both discontinued and CoWin reshaped as Arogya Setu
CoWin was loading from a goibio url pointing an Aws instance.
Arogya setu later rebranded it to a government url pointing same Aws instance.
In short it was travel industry solutionism for post lockdown travel for smart phone users (which is a miniscule population.
Arogya setu later rebranded it to a government url pointing same Aws instance.
In short it was travel industry solutionism for post lockdown travel for smart phone users (which is a miniscule population.
Arogya Setu raised tall claims on privacy on its app description and via principal scientific advisor, via Livemint op-ed of private sector lawyers with more unsubstantiated tall claims while not complying with mandatory opensource policy of GOI & preventing re-engineering in ToC
This indian express report showed emergence of a new player. The infamous ISPiRT, an org mentored by Nandan Nilekani, which was behind policy pushes for mandatory aadhaar and many fintech pushes. indianexpress.com/article/corona…
The same org sensed an opportunity when there was travel passes crisis. But failed in pushing it to Karnataka after developing a solution
Since pushing their solution to states is failed, now we are seeing integrating same idea of e-passes for data capture for Limited mobility scenario due to #covid19 via Arogya Setu, using PMO , NitiAyog acces
Travel industry solutionism for smartphone users is now getting integrated with e-passes for travel during health emergencies violating both citizens rights and federal structure
Expect - more identity integrations
Protocol integrations for limited mobility
Expect - more identity integrations
Protocol integrations for limited mobility
Arogya Setu as per news reports today is no more a contact tracing project alone . It is jumping to the territory of immunity passports and focusing on traceable mobility for ever.
In addition centralization of #covid19 funds with PM-CARES is going to be a hotspot for tech approaches with more central intervention to federal topics
