Fine-Tuning the State-of-the-App Technology

Context: Keener scrutiny of the technology platforms of India’s States can lead to improved public services and user confidence.

Use of technology platforms by the states: during COVID, at least 35 mobile apps that specifically address COVID­19 were developed by 25 States and Union Territories of India, having following features – 

• Provide general information on COVID-19; track nearby COVID cases, and have a Quarantine tracking feature.

Concerns with the technology platforms used by the state:

• State Monopoly: due to lack of choices available - E.g. while Whatsapp has competitors like Signal and Telegram, technology platforms offered by the state like Aadhar has no alternatives.
• Degraded service: only three apps provide information on isolation beds while only 17 apps provide information on COVID-19 hospitals.
• Lack of consistency in terms of the features, functionalities, and frequency of information updates they offer. (since most of the information is entered manually and may differ from actual data)
• Digital exclusion: could be more than 50% (mobile phone subscribers without internet + persons without a mobile phone).
• Privacy issues: Apps differ significantly on the data privacy they provide, depending on the information or permissions they request from the user. 
  • Data requests by the apps may not meet the two commonly accepted principles of data privacy, i.e. necessity and proportionality. E.g. 31 mobile apps request access to the location services.

Way forward: To solve the above-mentioned problems.

• Decentralized information flow: can address privacy issue to an extent as information resides in many individual systems and not in a centralized system.
  • Continue to set up functional helplines, auto­diallers, SMS text messages, and other channels to ensure access of the same information to digitally excluded.
• Create awareness: By examination of government technological platforms rather than adopting the strategies of “porting out” or “digital migration”.
• Adoption of Open and Interoperable, Application Programming Interface (API)­based microservices: for appropriate governance framework structure.
  • This would allow applications like Aarogya Setu to integrate with the myriad of State mobile apps.
• Scrutinize technology platforms: similar to the structured audits, for improved public services, and the public confidence needed for wider adoption.