India’s government is considering a push in the telecom industry to mandate always-on satellite location tracking on smartphones from Apple, Google, and Samsung.
This would permanently activate Assisted GPS (A-GPS) technology, enabling precise surveillance without user opt-out.
Tech giants oppose it fiercely, citing massive privacy and security risks, according to documents and sources reviewed by Reuters (source).
The proposal follows frustration with current tracking limits. Telecoms like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, via the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), rely on cell tower data for legal requests.
This method offers only rough estimates often off by hundreds of meters hindering investigations.
A-GPS fuses satellite signals with cellular and Wi-Fi data for pinpoint accuracy, down to about 1 meter in urban areas. But COAI wants smartphone makers to force-enable it at all times, bypassing user controls.
Telecom Push For Precision Surveillance
COAI’s June email to the IT ministry urges the mandate of A-GPS activation on demand from authorities.
Unlike standard use where location services toggle on for apps or emergencies this “always-on” mode would run silently in the background.
Devices would continuously query GNSS satellites (such as GPS and GLONASS) and leverage nearby cell towers or Wi-Fi hotspots, slashing time-to-first-fix from minutes to seconds.
Experts warn this turns phones into “dedicated surveillance devices.” Digital forensics specialist Junade Ali notes A-GPS could track users indoors or in dense cities where pure GPS fails.
No global precedent exists; even Russia’s state app mandates fall short of device-level GPS overrides.
India’s recent reversal of a cyber safety app preload order (source) highlights growing privacy tensions in the world’s second-largest mobile market (735 million smartphones).
A Home Ministry meeting with execs was postponed, with no decision yet from either the Home or IT ministries.
Tech Giants’ Privacy and Security Warnings
Apple (AAPL.O), Samsung (005930.KS), and Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) resist via the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA).
Their July letter calls it “regulatory overreach,” stressing legal pitfalls. A-GPS isn’t built for surveillance; forcing it risks exposing military personnel, judges, and journalists key user bases with sensitive data.
Current carrier location requests trigger user pop-ups that alert targets. Telecoms want these disabled for stealth, but ICEA insists on keeping them for transparency.
Security researcher Cooper Quintin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation deems it “horrifying,” as constant tracking drains batteries, invites exploits, and enables mass data harvesting.
With Android dominating 95% of devices (according to Counterpoint Research), this could reshape global privacy norms. COAI, ICEA, and firms declined to comment.
