India Eyes Mandatory Always-On GPS Tracking on Phones

India's government is considering a proposal to require smartphone manufacturers to enable continuous satellite-based location tracking on all devices sold in the country, a move aimed at providing law enforcement with more precise user data during investigations. The initiative, put forward by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents major telecom providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, seeks to activate Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) technology at all times, without allowing users to disable it or receive notifications about access.

The proposal emerged earlier this year amid ongoing concerns from government agencies that current location tracking methods are insufficiently accurate. Under existing practices, authorities rely on cellular tower data when making legal requests to telecom firms, which typically yields only approximate locations accurate to within hundreds of meters. AGPS, which combines satellite signals with cellular and internet data, could provide coordinates precise to about one meter, potentially aiding criminal probes, rescue operations, and the recovery of stolen devices. COAI has argued that such granularity...