BENGALURU: Giving a cold response to India’s security interests has been more than just an option   for MNC’s like Google and Apple. This won’t take place any more since they might soon require a license for satellite mapping in India, alleges a proposed legislation. As reported by Business Insider, a draft of Geospatial Information Regulation Bill was issued last week which said that anyone mapping India by a satellite or aerial platform will require a license from a government "security vetting authority”.

This act is being condemned as “return of the Licence Raj" and "digital nationalism"."India as a responsible power must have instituted guidelines. We won't create hurdles for business and technological development, but national security contemplations must not be endangered either," said Kiren Rijiju, MoS for Home, reacting to the criticism.

A fine adequate to Rs 100 crore invited by a jail sentence for seven years can be confronted if any kind of non-compliance is made against the above regulation.

One individual who seems to be keen about campaigns for such a regulation and law is BJP MP Tarun Vijay. He has asked “patriotic citizens of India” to utilize the country’s own ‘Bhuvan’ software application for maps.

"Why do we require Google? We should discontinue becoming Google's instruments," said Tarun. "The patriotic government of Narendra Modi has called for a correct step in a large alleviation to the security establishment. UPA did not take any action in spite of my supplications to the then Defence Minister AK Antony. I compliment the Modi government for demonstrating spine in expression of arrogance of these IT giants, Google has been behaving as if it were above Indian law.”

A government official aware of the situation reported that maps of India’s sensitive installations were available on Google Maps. This vitally boosts the security risks of those sites. "Pathankot air base, which was lately assailed, can be seen on Google Maps. Terrorists plan strikes on sensitive places analyzing Google Maps," he said.

If the legislation receives a thumbs up from the judiciary, companies like Google, Microsoft and Apple, would be critically and instantly hit as they have myriads of Indians depending on their maps. Furthermore, companies like Ola, Uber and Zomato rely on these maps and their interfaces to deliver their services, and they too will be severely affected from the results.

Mishi Choudhary, legal director–Software Freedom Law Centre averred that since nearly all online businesses nowadays rely on geo-location for their services, they will be pushed to seek a license under the proposed law, which is a menace to digital India. "This type of digital nationalism is a mode to create a government-controlled monopoly on all geographical information regarding India, conveniently transubstantiating Digital India to License India, digitally this time," she said.

However, a senior government official has contributed that firms should not have any trouble to arrive under regulations on security contemplations, given that the bill is looking for public remarks. If the public condemns the decision, they can lodge their discernments. "We are not forbidding anyone from mapping India - just that the mapping has to be in line with Indian security considerations with regard to its sensitive facilities and right boundaries being described like not showing PoK and Arunachal Pradesh as outside India," this official said.

Meanwhile, a faction of techies has made a website called savethemap.in–directed to educate people regarding the subject and send out their answers and views.

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