Kupwara, Sept 3 (KNS): The employees of health department, particularly female staff in district Kupwara have expressed unease over the recently roll out the UBI Attendance App, mandating employees to mark their daily attendance through geolocation tracking and facial recognition.

As per reports, the Health Administration in Kupwara district has rolled out the UBI Attendance App, requiring employees to mark attendance between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The app, available on the Play Store, records attendance through geolocation and facial recognition.

Officials claim the move will promote transparency and check absenteeism, but it has raised serious concerns among staff, especially women employees, who are uncomfortable with mandatory facial scans. Many fear their personal data could remain stored and accessible, posing privacy and security risks.

Talking to an employee she said that “Our biggest worry is that our facial data, once uploaded, remains stored in the system.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelWe have no clarity on who has access to it or how securely it is being protected. For women especially, this is a matter of both privacy and dignity,” said one female health worker, requesting anonymity.

The administration could have chosen safer alternatives such as fingerprint-based biometric systems or other attendance solutions that do not compromise privacy or create discomfort, she said.

“There are already tried and tested biometric options that authenticate attendance without storing sensitive facial images. Why experiment with a system that makes employees, especially women, feel unsafe?” another employee said.

The employees are now demanding that the Health Administration reconsider its decision and switch to a more secure and less intrusive system.(KNS)