Aarogya Setu App is Now Open Source

Since the introduction of the Aarogya Setu app back in April 2020 that there have already been several questions around user privacy and security. Considering that the application uses blue tooth and location data to learn whether a user has are in contact with a Covid-19 positive person or not it’s been criticised when it comes to handling user data. In the past few months, several programmers and investigators also have called the contact distributing application for putting user data at risk.

As a response to that today the government of India has made the Android edition of their Aarogya Setu app open source, so developers should have the ability to inspect the source code from the app and modify for changes. The origin code of the Android version is already available for review and collaboration. All developers and researchers can go to this URL to engage: https://github.com/nic-delhi/AarogyaSetu_Android.git

The government has also announced that the iOS version of the application is going to be released since accessible within the next fourteen days and also the server code will also be discharged subsequently. The federal government has also said that nearly 98 per cent users of Aarogya Setu program use a Android phone.

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The program is available for both iOS along with Android users. Especially, all code suggestions will be processed through pull petition reviews. The federal government of India has also requested the programmers to help find any vulnerabilities or code advancement in order to make “Aarogya Setu more robust and secure.

For that, the government has established a Bounty Programme with a objective to partner with security researchers and also Indian programmer community to test the security efficacy of Aarogya Setu also to improve and enhance its security and build user’s trust.

Releasing the source code of the rapidly evolving product that is being regularly employed by over 114 million people is challenging. Commenting on opening the origin of the programmer community the government of India claims that it represents their ongoing devotion to the principles of transparency and cooperation.

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Together with the release of the source code from the public realm, we are seeking to expanding cooperation and to manage the expertise of top technical brains between the talented citizens and youth of the state also to collectively build a solid and secure technology approach to help support the work of front line health workers in fighting this pandemic, the press note.