Daily a new lie: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Rahul Gandhi over Aarogya Setu app

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday (May 2) slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling "Aarogya Setu" app a sophisticated surveillance system and accused Gandhi scion of speaking a "new lie" daily. In a scathing attack on Rahul, Prasad asserted that those who indulged in surveillance all their lives won't know how technology can be used for good purpose.

"Daily a new lie. Aarogya Setu is a powerful companion which protects people. It has a robust data security architecture. Those who indulged in surveillance all their lives, won’t know how tech can be leveraged for good!" tweeted Prasad, who is also communications, electronics and information technology minister.

Prasad also refuted Rahul Gandhi's charge that the app has been outsourced to a private operator and claimed that has a robust data security architecture. "Aarogya Setu is now being appreciated globally. The App is NOT outsourced to any private operator. Mr Gandhi really high time that you stop outsourcing your tweets to your cronies who do not understand India," tweeted Prasad.

On Saturday, Rahul had said that Aarogya Setu application is a 'sophisticated surveillance system' outsourced to a private operator, raising serious data security and privacy concerns.

"The Arogya Setu app, is a sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a pvt operator, with no institutional oversight - raising serious data security & privacy concerns. Technology can help keep us safe; but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent," he said on Twitter.

The mobile application helps users identify whether they are at risk of the COVID-19 infection. It also provides people with important information, including ways to avoid coronavirus and its symptoms.