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Google, Uber Could Be Hit by New Rules on Maps; Government Wants Feedback

Google, Uber Could Be Hit by New Rules on Maps; Government Wants Feedback

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 5 May 2016 21:31 IST

Highlights

New proposal says licence needed to collect info for maps.
Google, taxi apps and others use own and crowd-sourced maps.
Proposal talks of big fines for incorrect depictions of Kashmir.

Companies like Google which offer maps - or services like Uber and Ola which use them - may run into new trouble. A proposal from the Home Ministry suggests that nobody should be able to offer maps online without getting a license from the government. The draft has been posted here, and seeks feedback within 30 days at jsis@nic.in.

Here's your seven-point cheat-sheet to try and keep it simple:

Services like Google Maps gather information from satellites and crowd-sourced data. These could become illegal, according to this part of the proposal: "No person shall acquire geospatial imagery or data including value addition of any part of India either through any space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles or terrestrial vehicles, or any other means whatsoever."
Gathering and sharing information for maps - either on sites or through apps - will require a license from an authority that will also sign off on the actual map.
If collection of data is regulated, it could lead to slowing down regular updates to maps commuters and taxi drivers use to figure out the best route to beat the traffic, or simply to navigate a journey.
The sort of mapping that should be curtailed, according to the Home Ministry's proposal, is also used by service companies like Zomato that deliver food.
Existing maps aren't exempt - you'll need a license if you have satellite images or other aerial photos of India and have to pay fees for "retaining this geospatial information". The fine for disseminating these maps without permits will range between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 100 crore. Seven years in jail is listed as the maximum sentence.
Google and others whose maps differ from India's in terms of Kashmir territory will be illegal and publishing them could attract a large fine.
Government departments are exempt from these requirements.

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