The government on Monday indicated that it was ready to review the contentious provisions in the draft of the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill.
According to the draft bill, it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India. The draft also proposes a jail term of seven years and a fine upto ` 100 crore if anyone wrongly depicts India’s map prepared with geospatial imagery.
“The idea behind the bill is to ensure privacy of Internet users. We are open to consider all suggestions that will come in the next one month,” a top home ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
The government has put the draft of the bill in public domain. All stakeholders in the government have been asked for their views.
The government also proposed to set up a Security Vetting Authority to carry out security vetting of the Geospatial Information of India, but is facing criticism from activists, who say the provisions of the draft bill are stringent and may violate the privacy of individuals.
Hindustan Times New Delhi,10 May 2016
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