Modi’s app Vs Xi’s app: How China’s COVID-19 tracking app is a ‘digital handcuff’ used to crush dissent

New Delhi: While India’s CoWIN app proved to be a huge success in fighting the deadly pandemic as a contact tracer, China’s COVID-19 tracker apps have been increasingly used by the totalitarian regime of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to gag people and crush any dissent against the totalitarian government.

Equipped with the capability to insidiously track personal data at a rather alarming depth and detail—the health code system is a combination of mobile phone location tracking system along with government-issued ID numbers, COVID test results and vaccination status—the health code apps are being used as ‘digital handcuffs’ on the people.

Such is the invasion of life and privacy of people that they have to scan QR codes flying from drones hovering overhead on roads to get rights to passage and travel between localities across several cities.

The ‘Zero COVID’ policy of Xi Jinping has prodded these apps to become more invasive and insidious in their reach and sophistication. Now, they are used to control movement and access to public places.

Chinese