Geo-fencing app will be used to locate quarantine violators- THE HINDU-03-04-2020

Details:

The Centre is using powers under the Indian Telegraph Act to “fetch information” from telecom companies every 15 minutes to track COVID-19 cases across the country. The government has tested an application that triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location.

Used by Kerala:

The system will collate phone data, including the device’s location, on a common secured platform and alert the local agencies in case of a violation by COVID patients under watch or in isolation.

Data will be deleted:

It said that the phone number should be deleted from the system after the period for which location monitoring is required is over and the data would be deleted four weeks from thereon. “The data collected shall be used only for the purpose of Health Management in the context of COVID-19 and is strictly not for any other purposes.