India’s authorities is reviewing a telecom business proposal to power smartphone corporations to allow satellite tv for pc location monitoring that’s at all times activated for higher surveillance, a transfer opposed by Apple, Google and Samsung because of privateness issues, based on paperwork, emails and 5 sources.
A fierce privateness debate erupted in India this week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authorities was compelled to rescind an order requiring smartphone makers to preload a state-run cyber security app on all units after activists and politicians raised issues about potential snooping.
For years, the Modi administration has been involved its companies don’t get exact areas when authorized requests are made to telecom corporations throughout investigations. Below the present system, the corporations are restricted to utilizing mobile tower information that may solely present an estimated space location, which may be off by a number of meters.
The Mobile Operators Affiliation of India (COAI), which represents Reliance’s Jio and Bharti Airtel, has proposed that exact consumer areas ought to solely be supplied if the federal government orders smartphone makers to activate A-GPS know-how – which makes use of satellite tv for pc indicators and mobile information – based on a June inner federal IT ministry electronic mail.
That may require location companies to at all times be activated in smartphones with no possibility for customers to disable them. Apple , Samsung and Alphabet’s Google have advised New Delhi that shouldn’t be mandated, mentioned three of the sources who’ve direct data of the deliberations.
A measure to trace device-level location has no precedent wherever else on the planet, lobbying group India Mobile & Electronics Affiliation (ICEA), which represents each Apple and Google, wrote in a confidential July letter to the federal government, which was considered by Reuters.
“The A-GPS community service … (is) not deployed or supported for location surveillance,” mentioned the letter, which added that the measure “could be a regulatory overreach.”
‘DEDICATED SURVEILLANCE DEVICE’
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India’s dwelling ministry had scheduled a gathering of prime smartphone business executives to debate the matter on Friday nevertheless it was postponed, a supply with direct data of the matter mentioned. On Thursday, Reuters despatched questions associated to this matter to the ministry.
India’s IT and residential ministries, that are each analysing the telecom business’s proposal, didn’t reply to Reuters queries.
Apple, Samsung, Google, Reliance and Airtel didn’t reply to requests for remark. Foyer teams ICEA and COAI additionally didn’t reply.
At this level, no coverage choice has been made by the IT or dwelling ministries.
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Benefiting from A-GPS know-how – which is often solely turned on when sure apps are operating or when emergency calls are being made – might present authorities with location information exact sufficient {that a} consumer may be tracked to inside a few meter, based on know-how specialists.
“This proposal would see telephones function as a devoted surveillance system,” mentioned Junade Ali, a digital forensics skilled related to Britain’s Establishment of Engineering and Know-how.
Cooper Quintin, a safety researcher on the U.S.-based Digital Frontier Basis, mentioned he had not heard of any such proposal elsewhere, calling it “fairly horrifying.”
Governments worldwide routinely search new methods to raised observe cellphone customers’ actions or information. Russia has mandated the set up of a state-backed communications app on all cellphones within the nation.
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TELCOS VS SMARTPHONE FIRMS
India is the world’s second-biggest cellular market with 735 million smartphones as of mid-2025, the place Google’s Android powers greater than 95% of the units, with the remaining utilizing Apple’s iOS, Counterpoint Analysis says.
Apple and Google’s foyer group, the ICEA, argued of their July letter that there are vital “authorized, privateness, and nationwide safety issues” with the proposal from the telecom group.
It warned their consumer base would come with individuals from the army, judges, company executives and journalists, including that proposed location monitoring risked their safety on condition that they maintain delicate info.
Even the outdated approach of location monitoring is turning into problematic, the telecom group mentioned, as smartphone makers present a pop-up message to customers, alerting them that their “service is attempting to entry your location.”
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“A goal can simply confirm that he’s being tracked by safety companies,” mentioned the telecom group, urging the federal government to order telephone makers to disable the pop-up options.
Privateness issues ought to take precedence and India also needs to not contemplate disabling the pop-ups, Apple and Google’s group argued in its July letter to the federal government.
This may “guarantee transparency and consumer management over their location.”
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