The government has asked social media platforms to push installs for its Aarogya Setu app, and has also given these companies targets for downloads among their customers.
The government launched the Arogya Setu app earlier this month to help citizens track if they have come in proximity of a COVID-19 patient and to take self-assessments to know if they have any symptoms.
The app has so far been downloaded over 25 million times.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) sent out communication to social media platforms this week to ask them to reach out to users and promote installation of the app.
The social media companies have been given a ‘target’ of ‘minimum downloads’, ranging in millions. Additionally, the companies have been asked to share progress on this front with the government on a daily basis.
In the communication to these companies, the government has said its overall target is “all mobile users in India.”
A Sharechat spokesperson confirmed receiving such a letter from MEITY but did not wish to comment further.
"We at TikTok are fully committed to support the government in its endeavor to drive awareness around Covid-19. In these testing times all our efforts are towards disseminating the right information on COVID 19 through trusted sources. We are looking forward to providing our in-app resources for the promotion of Aarogya Setu," said a TikTok spokesperson.
Other social media companies such as Facebook did not respond to queries.
CNBC TV 18 also reached out to MEITY but did not get a response.
The social media companies are also looking to reach out to industry bodies such as the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to discuss the matter and the feasibility of the activity.
The government has been actively pushing the app as reported COVID-19 cases in the country crossed 6,500, with nearly 200 deaths.
The government has also launched an Interactive Voice Response Service (IVRS) with the Tamil Nadu government for those who don’t have smartphones and use feature phones. This is likely to be taken to more states as well.
