Will Location Stay On 24/7? Tech Giants Raise Alarm Over Government’s New Proposal

New Delhi. The debate regarding digital privacy in India has been continuously heating up for some time. The opposition to the government's decision to pre-load the Sanchar Sathi app on all smartphones had not yet subsided when another big proposal is in the news. According to sources, the government is considering that satellite-based location tracking should always be on in all smartphones.

As soon as this information came out, big companies like Google, Apple and Samsung have expressed concern. He says that this step can directly affect the personal freedom and privacy of the people.

Why does the government need accurate location all the time?

Investigative agencies argue that in many cases it becomes extremely difficult to trace the exact location of a person.
Currently, telecom companies rely on mobile tower data, which only tells what area the phone was in.
This information is often not accurate enough to immediately assist in the investigation.

For this reason, the Cellular Operators Association of India has suggested that Assisted-GPS i.e. A-GPS should always be on in smartphones.
A-GPS makes the phone's location extremely accurate because it works with the help of satellite rather than tower data.

Why are tech companies against this proposal?

Big tech companies are clearly saying that if location service has to be kept on compulsorily, then the user will have no option to turn it off.
He says that:

* This will severely affect privacy
* There will be a constant risk of location being tracked
* This would be against global privacy standards

Companies also say that implementation of such a rule in any country may weaken the trust of users and will also affect the industry.

Meeting soon, decision still far away

Till now the government has not taken any final decision in this regard. According to the information, an important meeting between government officials and smartphone companies may take place soon. If the government moves forward in this direction, there may be major opposition from tech companies. At present, this issue has become like a search for a new balance between privacy, security and technology.