The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 has kicked up a hornet’s nest of controversy in India thanks to its draconian stance on map-making. The government has come under some heavy criticism as a result of the law and has now announced its intentions to review the provisions of its draft bill.
The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill basically requires foreign and local entities to take permission from the government before gathering, distributing, or publishing any India-related geospatial data. Anyone who violates the law is liable to get slapped with a massive fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore.
They could even face getting pushed behind bars for up to 7 years. The regulation is meant to stop people from publishing wrong or false Indian topographical information via online platforms or physical books. If passed, the rule would impact hundreds of location services like Google Maps, Uber and Apple Maps.
A number of businesses utilize geospatial imagery to gather information. The term refers to any data acquired via space or aerial sources like aircrafts, satellites, balloons and airships. Firms like Google will be forced to apply for a license if it wants to keep the information it has already collected. Its data would have to through a Security Vetting Authority in order to get approved.
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The Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has taken to his Twitter account to clear the air on the matter, stating the Geospatial Bill is only a draft proposal as of now. He has also asked citizens to put across their suggestions. As per PTI, the administration is open for all comments which come in over the course on the next one month.
While large-scale companies like Google might be able to successful navigate the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016, the law could spell doom for smaller enterprises which don’t have the time or money to go through a lengthy license application process.