The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) releases Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol
- The Empowered Group 9 on Technology and Data Management developed and released the Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol.
- IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney is the chairman of the group.
- The new norms lay emphasis on anonymisation of data collected by the app.
AGENCIES AND MINISTRIES INVOLVED
- The National Informatics Center (NIC) is responsible for collecting, processing and managing all the data collected by Aarogya Setu and it will collect only that data which is necessary to formulate or implement appropriate health responses.
- Under the protocol, the Ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) will have a supervisory role.
DATA STORAGE AND COLLECTION
- The protocol outlined that personal data from the application can only be used for health purposes.
- The data collected include name, mobile number, location, age, gender, profession, travel history, persons in contact and location of persons in contact.
- The data must be permanently deleted after a maximum of 180 days “unless a specific recommendation is made” by the empowered group on technology.
- The data can be shared with the “Government of India”, and all the agencies that are granted access to the data must use it only for the purpose for which it has been shared and delete it after 180 days.
- An individual can request for deleting demographic data, which must be abided by in 30 days.
- For developing health responses, the information can be shared with third parties. The government agency sharing information with the third party is responsible for adherence to the protocol by the third party.
FLOW OF DATA IN ORDER TO TAKE AN ACTION
- The most important data set is the special surveillance system made by the health department in which states (and districts) can look at the information.
- All health systems in NIC and the Health Ministry are combined with Aarogya Setu’s self-assessment and Bluetooth contact tracing data after applications for testing samples with data reaches ICMR’s lab portals.
- The data obtained from NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) and IIT Madras is used to develop an analytics basis which the action that is to be taken is decided.
PENAL PROVISIONS
- In case of any violation or deviation from the protocol, legal consequences under section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act will follow. This invites jail term for up to two years.
- The protocol will be in effect for six months.
- Extension, if any, will be considered after six months, subject to a review.
ABOUT AROGYA SETU APP
- The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT launched the Aarogya Setu app on 2 April 2020.
- This mobile app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre, that functions under the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
- It works on the principal of contact tracing, in which the location of an individual is used to tell the risk level associated with the individual. The app tells if the person is near a person who’s under quarantine or tested positive.
- The individual needs to keep the location and bluetooth services on for the app to function in a proper manner.
- Earlier this app was known as Corona Kavach but now it has been officially renamed as Aarogya Setu.
- The Aarogya Setu App has garnered praises from the World Bank and tech giants such as Apple and Google etc.
- Union Minister of Electronics and IT-Ravi Shankar Prasad
ABOUT NIC
- Office under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Provides infrastructure to help support the delivery of government IT services and the delivery of some of the initiatives of Digital India.
- Director General-Neeta Verma
जीके और दैनिक करेंट अफेयर्स अपडेट हिंदी में प्राप्त करें – क्लिक करें
Attempt Free Mock Tests & Get Free eBooks
