India Considers Precise Smartphone Tracking, Raising Privacy Concerns

New Delhi (RNI) The Indian government is exploring a proposal to obtain highly precise location data from smartphones, a move that has raised concerns among activists, technology companies, and privacy experts. For years, authorities have relied on cellular tower data to track devices during investigations, but this method provides only approximate locations, often off by several meters.

The proposal, pushed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, suggests that smartphone makers should be required to enable A-GPS technology at all times. A-GPS combines satellite signals and cellular data to provide exact device locations. According to internal federal IT ministry communications, this would effectively mandate location services that users cannot disable.

Apple and Google have expressed opposition to such a mandate. Lobby group India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), representing both companies, warned in a confidential letter to the government that this approach has “no precedent anywhere else in the world” and would constitute a “regulatory overreach.” Experts also noted that using A-GPS continuously could allow authorities to track users within roughly one meter, effectively turning smartphones into “dedicated surveillance devices.”

Junade Ali, a digital forensics expert in the UK, said the proposal “would see phones operate as a dedicated surveillance device.” Cooper Quintin, a researcher at the U.S.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, called the idea “pretty horrifying” and noted that he had not seen a similar policy proposed in any other country.

While India’s IT and Home Ministries are reportedly reviewing the telecom industry’s proposal, no policy decision has yet been made. The issue highlights ongoing tensions between government surveillance capabilities and user privacy, a debate playing out worldwide. In other countries, including Russia, governments have introduced mandatory apps or services on phones for state surveillance purposes.