India Reviews Telecom Industry Proposal For Always-On Satellite Location Tracking
- Reference: 0180300869
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/12/05/2110209/india-reviews-telecom-industry-proposal-for-always-on-satellite-location-tracking
- Source link:
> For years, the [Prime Minister Narendra Modi's] administration has been concerned its agencies do not get precise locations when legal requests are made to telecom firms during investigations. Under the current system, the firms are limited to using cellular tower data that can only provide an estimated area location, which can be off by several meters.
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> The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance's Jio and Bharti Airtel, has proposed that precise user locations should only be provided if the government orders smartphone makers to activate A-GPS technology -- which uses satellite signals and cellular data -- according to a June internal federal IT ministry email. That would require location services to always be activated in smartphones with no option for users to disable them. Apple, Samsung, and Alphabet's Google have told New Delhi that should not be mandated, said three of the sources who have direct knowledge of the deliberations.
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> A measure to track device-level location has no precedent anywhere else in the world, lobbying group India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which represents both Apple and Google, wrote in a confidential July letter to the government, which was viewed by Reuters. "The A-GPS network service ... (is) not deployed or supported for location surveillance," said the letter, which added that the measure "would be a regulatory overreach."
Earlier this week, Modi's government was [2]forced to rescind an order requiring smartphone makers to preload a state-run cyber safety app on all devices after [3]public backlash and privacy concerns.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/india-weighs-greater-phone-location-surveillance-apple-google-samsung-protest-2025-12-05/
[2] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/12/03/1712242/india-pulls-its-preinstalled-iphone-app-demand
[3] https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/12/02/2214241/apple-to-resist-india-order-to-preload-state-run-app-as-political-outcry-builds
Old Steve Martin Joke (Score:2)
where's my phone, officer? Oh "I forgot it "
Dam! what is up in India? (Score:2)
One could think the government does not trust it's citizens!?
Time for Faraday Cage phone bags (Score:2)
Or powering off, or using a burner phone, or just not having a phone.
Imagine getting summoned and having to explain to the police why your phone wasn't reporting its location for a few hours:
"Smith!' screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen. '6079 Smith W.! Yes, you! Bend lower, please! You can do better than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better, comrade. Now stand at ease, the whole squad, and watch me."
Apologies to George Orwell
Of course, if everyone turns off or shields their phon
The more we know⦠(Score:1)
Now we know that Israeli hacking firms haven't figured out how to remotely enable location services on iOS or Android.
Legacy Sensors (Score:2)
I thought Satellite GPS was a "legacy sensor"--location tracking is primarily done via Wifi AP and Bluetooth tracking now.
Get with the times, Modi.
From a practical standpoint (Score:2)
Phones already have pretty poor battery life overall and you want them to run the GPS all the time??
Always on - the charger. (Score:2)
> require location services to always be activated in smartphones with no option for users to disable them.
The battery will love this. /s
Sure, why not, with a caveat... (Score:2)
If everyone is going to be tracked all the time then the timeliness, accuracy, and the veracity of publically disclosed location data should directly correlate to the persons potential impact on the economy, law enforcement, lawmaking, and governance at the municipal, regional, and federals levels.
The higher someone is in governmental or corporate power, and those in persistent proximity to those people, the more important it is that timely, accurate, and validated location data for them should be and made
India has some issues (Score:2)
> "India is weighing a proposal to mandate always-on satellite tracking in smartphones for precise government surveillance"
What? This is the same India that just tried to force non-removable government spyware on everyone's phones. Then claimed it wasn't spyware, could be removed, that it couldn't spy on anyone using it, and then claimed it was always going to be voluntary to use?
It is obvious that they are pushing the populous to see what they can get away with.
Surveillence State is coming.. (Score:2)
...whether we like it or not.
Every few weeks we hear about another call to arms to try and stop a proposal for big brother to spy on all of us in {location}, and each time it's narrowly defeated.
Eventually it's going to pass and it won't be repealed before being implemented. Once that happens it'll never go away.
Whoever manages to setup the full digital ID + ban on all encryption + enforced always-on GPS tracking + internet wide tracking will be able to install whoever they want in power and never, ever let
Some people just have to touch the stove (Score:2)
And some of them make a habit of it.