Well, Apple will still have to do battle with India’s government it seems. fresh off abandoning its controversial mandate to preload a state-run “security” app on all smartphones, the Modi government is considering “smartphone makers to activate A-GPS technology – which uses satellite signals and cellular data (…) precise enough that a user can be tracked to within about a meter,” reports Reuters.
The article notes that the idea was touted earlier this year by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), as a result of concerns by the Modi administration that “its agencies do not get precise locations when legal requests are made to telecom firms during investigations,” since this information relies on cellular tower data, which is less precise.
At the time, Apple and Google expressed opposition to the proposal, which they called “a regulatory overreach,” and claimed that this would present clear “legal, privacy, and national security concerns.” Expect them to do so again.
This another bone-headed idea by another out-of-touch government. And you can be sure that Apple — and, hopefully, other smartphone makers will say “no.”
But back to the security app fiasco: following pushback from a mandate requiring phones in India to come pre-installed with a state-owned, undeletable app, the government is now saying that the app may be deleted if users choose to do so, 9to5Mac on December 3.
However, as the article noted, this move isn’t likely to change Apple’s refusal to comply with the order. On December 1 The Indian Express reported that India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked smartphone companies in India — including Apple — to preinstall a state-developed, undelete-able cybersecurity application that allows users to report fraudulent calls and messages, and stolen mobile phones. The app is dubbed “Sanchar Saathi.” Smartphone makers have been given three months to adhere to the directive.
Sandbar Saathi is currently available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, but installing it has been optional so far. A senior government official in India told The Indian Express that the directive is part of a broader strategy to “strengthen cybersecurity and anti-spam measures.”
Quoting three unnamed sources, Reuters said Apple will reportedly tell the government it doesn’t follow such mandates as that of India’s government anywhere in the world as they raise a host of privacy and security issues for the company’s iOS ecosystem.
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Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today