Location surveillance apps to fight Covid-19 in India

India sees a surge in Covid-19 cases and now authorities are using location-tracking apps on smartphones to identify possible Covid-19 infections or to keep people indoors.

Apps which allow citizens to track whether they have come in contact with infected people are increasing on Google and Apple app stores.

It is said that most of the apps use smartphone locations and tally them against government databases of infected people. They can alert users on encounter with those infected.

One such app is said to be the Corona Kavach, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY). Corona Kavach depends on users to voluntarily enter their information. But, Niti Aayog, is reportedly planning to launch an advanced app called COWIN-20.

Meanwhile, there is an app called Unmaze, which informs the authorities if a quarantined user breaks isolation. The app is available to the authorities for free and at least three police departments plan to launch it.

However, Countries like, Israel, Iran China, have used location to track infected patients or prevent the disease from spreading.