Google, which ran into trouble with Indian authorities earlier this month over a contest to update its maps service, is a repeat offender, according to a senior government official. Additional surveyor-general of India RC Padhiwas the first to raise the issue of the internet giant's legal compliance and filed a police case which may be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. He told ET in an interview that it does not seem to be a case of ignorance but one of wilful violation of local laws. Edited excerpts:
What prompted you to approach the police over Google's Mapathon contest?
Our main concern is policy. As per the National Map Policy, geospatial data cannot be placed in the public domain, as that would jeopardise the country's security. All geospatial data have some security elements like defence installations, civil installations , etc. Such information cannot be put in the public domain. There is a process.Even when we, at the Survey of India, do mapping, we need to complete all our maps by removing sensitive data before it is sent to the public domain. Various institutions ensure the content is permissible for public consumption .
Now, Google organised a competition where the public could participate and announced some incentives with a disclaimer that if users violate any law of the land, they will be responsible and not the company. This is improper.
First of all, they have not taken approval from the government. And since we (Survey of India) are the custodian of geospatial data , we were compelled to take action. We don't have anything personal against the company.
Wouldn't the information that Google would have obtained, through the 'Mapathon' , already be in the public domain since it is the public that provided it?
The layman is ignorant of what information can and cannot be put up. If I ask you a question on what information can be put in the public domain, you would not know. This is true for most of us. There are professionals, working in this particular domain, who know what information is appropriate to be put in the public domain.
So if Google, after this competition, follows the due process and gets government approval before publishing the information, it would be alright?
Yes. We have told them to submit the information to the government. Once it is cleared and security vetted, they can do whatever they consider appropriate . We ourselves are in the dark about what information they have collected. That is why we referred the case to the police asking them to investigate. We are not the investigating agency.
Do you think it is ignorance or wilful violation of local laws?
I am sure they are aware of the policies. This is not the first instance they have done this. If you look at Google's terms and conditions, they have stated that responsibility lies with the participants of the contest and not the company. This suggests that they are aware of the rules.
Did you reach out to Google before filing the case?
We wrote to them, but the communication elicited no response. We wrote to the police also. We had advised them to follow the rules. When somebody violates a law, what do you do? For instance, if there is a traffic violation, do you wait for the violator's response before you go to the police? We did tell them that this is not in accordance with the law.
What prompted you to approach the police over Google's Mapathon contest?
Our main concern is policy. As per the National Map Policy, geospatial data cannot be placed in the public domain, as that would jeopardise the country's security. All geospatial data have some security elements like defence installations, civil installations , etc. Such information cannot be put in the public domain. There is a process.Even when we, at the Survey of India, do mapping, we need to complete all our maps by removing sensitive data before it is sent to the public domain. Various institutions ensure the content is permissible for public consumption .
Now, Google organised a competition where the public could participate and announced some incentives with a disclaimer that if users violate any law of the land, they will be responsible and not the company. This is improper.
First of all, they have not taken approval from the government. And since we (Survey of India) are the custodian of geospatial data , we were compelled to take action. We don't have anything personal against the company.
Wouldn't the information that Google would have obtained, through the 'Mapathon' , already be in the public domain since it is the public that provided it?
The layman is ignorant of what information can and cannot be put up. If I ask you a question on what information can be put in the public domain, you would not know. This is true for most of us. There are professionals, working in this particular domain, who know what information is appropriate to be put in the public domain.
So if Google, after this competition, follows the due process and gets government approval before publishing the information, it would be alright?
Yes. We have told them to submit the information to the government. Once it is cleared and security vetted, they can do whatever they consider appropriate . We ourselves are in the dark about what information they have collected. That is why we referred the case to the police asking them to investigate. We are not the investigating agency.
Do you think it is ignorance or wilful violation of local laws?
I am sure they are aware of the policies. This is not the first instance they have done this. If you look at Google's terms and conditions, they have stated that responsibility lies with the participants of the contest and not the company. This suggests that they are aware of the rules.
Did you reach out to Google before filing the case?
We wrote to them, but the communication elicited no response. We wrote to the police also. We had advised them to follow the rules. When somebody violates a law, what do you do? For instance, if there is a traffic violation, do you wait for the violator's response before you go to the police? We did tell them that this is not in accordance with the law.
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