Wrong depiction of the map of India could land violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine up to Rs 100 crore.
Wrong depiction of the map of India could land violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine up to Rs 100 crore. According to news agency reports, this measure has been envisaged by the government against the backdrop of instances where certain social networking sites showed Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of Pakistan and China, respectively.
According to the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016, it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India.
“No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India, including international boundaries, through Internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form.. Whoever acquired any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years,” the draft bill states.
The government also proposed to set up a security vetting authority to carry out vetting of the geospatial information of India in a time-bound manner and as per the regulations framed by an apex committee.
The authority shall consist of an officer of the rank of joint secretary to the Government of India or above as chairman and two members — one a technical expert and the other a national security expert.
The draft bill will ensure that online platforms will have to apply for a licence to run Google Maps or Google Earth in India.
According to the draft bill, the Security Vetting Authority, on receipt of an application and after examining the application in terms of the guidelines, shall either grant the licence or reject the application as the case may be.
