Geo-fencing app: To Locate quarantine violators

Geo-fencing app: To Locate quarantine violators

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Science & Technology

In News:

• The application is called COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).
• CQAS relies on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location
• The app triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped isolation
• Department of Telecom (DoT) and C-DOT, in coordination with telecom service providers, have developed this application.

Important value additions:

• The Indian Telegraph Act empowers the government to seek phone data telecom companies – being utilized to track COVID-19 cases (Due process of Law followed)
• Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) established as registered society in 1984 is an autonomous Telecom R&D centre of DoT, Government of India.