According to documents, emails, and five sources, the Indian government is reviewing a telecommunications industry proposal that aims to mandate smartphone manufacturers to enable satellite-based tracking functionality for more effective monitoring. This move has faced opposition from $Apple (AAPL.US)$ 、 $Alphabet-A (GOOGL.US)$ and Samsung due to privacy concerns.
This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was forced to withdraw an order requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a state-owned cybersecurity application on all devices, following concerns raised by activists and politicians regarding potential surveillance.
For years, the Modi administration has been concerned about its agencies’ inability to obtain accurate location information when legally instructing telecom companies to assist with investigations. Under the current system, these companies can only rely on mobile tower data, which provides approximate location information with potential errors of several meters.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) proposed that precise user location information could only be provided if the government required smartphone manufacturers to enable Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) technology, which utilizes satellite signals and mobile data. This suggestion was based on an internal memo from the federal Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in June.
This would require smartphones to keep location services enabled at all times, with no option for users to turn off the feature. Three sources directly familiar with the discussions stated that Apple, Samsung, and Google have informed the Indian government that this requirement should not be enforced.
A measure aimed at tracking device-level positioning has no precedent anywhere else in the world. The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), representing Apple and Google, stated in a confidential letter to the Indian government in July that the regulation should not be mandated. The letter noted: 'A-GPS network services…(are) neither deployed nor supported for the purposes of location monitoring.' It also pointed out that such a measure 'would constitute regulatory overreach.'
‘Equipment specifically used for surveillance’
A senior official directly familiar with the matter stated that a meeting between high-ranking executives from the smartphone industry and India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, originally scheduled for Friday to discuss the issue, has been postponed. Currently, no policy decision has been made by either the Ministry of Communications or the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Utilizing A-GPS technology—which is typically activated only when certain applications are running or during emergency calls—could provide authorities with sufficiently precise location data, allowing trackers to pinpoint users within approximately one meter, according to technical experts.
Junade Ali, a digital forensics expert at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, stated, "This proposal would turn mobile phones into dedicated surveillance devices."
Cooper Quintin, a security researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in the United States, said he had not heard of a similar proposal elsewhere, calling it "quite alarming."
Governments around the world are typically seeking new ways to better track the location or data of mobile phone users. Russia has mandated the installation of a government-backed communication application on all phones within the country.
Dispute Between India's Telecom Companies and Smartphone Manufacturers
By mid-2025, India will be the second-largest mobile market globally, with 735 million smartphones. According to Counterpoint Research, Google’s Android system accounts for over 95% of these devices, while the remaining devices run on Apple’s iOS.
The ICEA, a lobbying group representing Apple and Google, stated in a letter in July that the telecom industry's proposal raises "serious legal, privacy, and national security concerns." They warned that the user base affected by this proposal would include military personnel, judges, corporate executives, and journalists, adding that due to their possession of sensitive information, the proposed location tracking could jeopardize their safety.
The telecom group noted that even traditional methods of location tracking have become problematic because smartphone manufacturers now display pop-up notifications to users warning them that 'your carrier is trying to access your location.'
The telecom group claimed that it is easy for the target to realize they are being tracked by security agencies; hence, they urged the government to order smartphone manufacturers to disable such pop-up notifications. In a letter to the Indian government in July, Apple and Google emphasized that privacy concerns should take precedence, and India should not consider disabling these notifications. They argued that doing so would 'ensure transparency and user control over their location data.'
Editor/Doris
