Discussions around the national government’s order for smartphone makers to pre install its cyber safety software, Sanchar Saathi, on all newly produced smartphones  have recently dominated India’s digital scene. Concerns about digital safety,  monitoring, and privacy continue to dominate discussions across the nation, despite  the mandate’s final withdrawal due to strong popular opposition. The government is  reportedly considering a plan that may drastically change how location monitoring  functions on cellphones in India, which has thrown these concerns back into the  spotlight. 

The Indian government is now reviewing a proposal made by the telecom sector to  enable satellite-based location monitoring on cellphones at all times, according to a  Reuters story. When legally needed for investigations, the idea aims to guarantee that  government agencies may acquire precise and up-to-date location data. 

An effort to obtain more accurate location data 

The accuracy of location data supplied during legitimate requests to telecom service  providers has long been a source of worry for the Indian government. Currently, cellular  tower triangulation is the main method used by telecom companies to estimate the  position of a device. However, because tower-based tracking only provides a general  location estimate and might vary by few meters, this approach frequently leads to  uncertainty. 

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents major telecom  companies including Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, has proposed that smartphone makers be directed to permanently enable Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) in order to close this  gap. A-GPS provides far more accurate geolocation capabilities by combining cellphone  data with satellite signals. In essence, the plan mandates that satellite monitoring be  enabled on all devices, with no way for consumers to disable it. 

Strong resistance from smartphone manufacturers 

Major international IT corporations have strongly opposed this recommendation.  Leaders in the industry, including Apple, Samsung, and Google, have voiced their  worries to the Indian government about mandated, continuous satellite tracking. The IT  sector emphasized that such a rule had “no precedent anywhere else in the world”  through the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which includes businesses  like Apple and Google. This was stated in a private letter that the organization delivered  to the government in July. 

ICEA emphasized that enforcing A-GPS activation permanently would raise significant  “legal, privacy, and national security concerns.” The idea, according to the group,  amounts to governmental overreach and may jeopardize user rights and confidence in  digital technology. 

Issues with transparency and user alerts 

Concerns over current smartphone capabilities that alert customers when a carrier  network is accessing their location have also been voiced by the telecom organization.  According to COAI, these pop-ups let those who are being investigated know that  security agents are keeping an eye on them. The organization called on the government  to order smartphone makers to completely disable these alarm systems in order to  combat this. 

ICEA vehemently disagreed, arguing that user openness is an essential part of privacy  protection. The group reiterated that privacy concerns should be given first priority even  when weighing national security issues, and it encouraged the government not to think  about turning off pop-up warnings. 

Conclusion 

An important milestone in India’s developing digital governance framework has been  reached with the government’s examination of the telecom industry’s proposal for  mandatory, always-on satellite-based location monitoring. Global smartphone  manufacturers and industry associations point out the significant privacy and legal  ramifications of such a regulation, while telecom operators urge for increased accuracy  in legitimate investigations. The conclusion of this discussion will have significant  ramifications for millions of smartphone users nationwide as India continues to negotiate the difficult nexus of national security, technological development, and  individual privacy rights.