Aarogya Setu risks
Aarogya Setu

Aarogya Setu app was designed for contact tracing in wake of COVID-19 pandemic in India. But there was a lot of controversy surrounding the app about data privacy, which brought attention to that lack of option to delete the account permanently and even the data stored in the app. but it looks like the government has addressed the criticism with a new change to Aarogya Setu app.

In a new update to Aarogya Setu app on Android and iOS platforms, the developers have added an option to erase all their data stored by the app as well as delete their registered accounts permanently. These settings can be accessed from within the app. Here's how you can do it.

How to permanently delete your account?

Aarogya Setu app - Home Screens
Aarogya Setu app - Home ScreensPhotos taken from social media

Users must go into the app settings and select "Delete My Account" option, which deletes both the account and the app data stored in it. But there's a catch to this. Even though users can erase the app data on the phone, the data stored on the government server cannot be deleted. But there's no reason to be alarmed by this as the data stored by Aarogya Setu app on the government servers is automatically deleted after 30 days.

Third-party access

Aarogya Setu update has also introduced a new option for third-party apps to access users' health data. The new option is also embedded within the Settings and then tap Approval for Aarogya Setu Status. But the feature is available is only on iOS devices.