Apple, Google, and Samsung oppose expanded state surveillance on smartphones in India

India’s telecom industry has presented a proposal requesting that smartphone companies enable satellite location tracking that users can not turn off. The implementation of the proposal involves using A-GPS technology, which functions with both satellite signals and cellular data.

The Indian government is considering a telecom industry proposal that would require all smartphones to have satellite-based location tracking permanently enabled, with no option for users to turn it off.

Apple and Google reject India’s telecom industry proposal  

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing major carriers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel presented the proposal.

According to Reuters, referencing to internal government emails from June, telecom companies want precise user locations provided through A-GPS technology, which uses both satellite signals and cellular data and can allow tracking accurate to within about one meter. 

Currently, authorities can only use cellular tower data that can only estimate location within several meters. 

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was forced to withdraw an order requiring all smartphones to come with a state-run cyber safety app already installed on it, with no option to delete it. However, activists and politicians raised alarms about potential government snooping, which led to the policy’s quick reversal, according to reporting by Cryptopolitan.

Apple, Samsung, and Google also told the Indian government not to force the installation of the app. The India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), representing both Apple and Google, sent a confidential letter to authorities in July arguing that the proposal has no precedent anywhere in the world and would constitute “regulatory overreach.”

The tech companies stated that A-GPS network services are “not deployed or supported for location surveillance” in their letter. They warned of significant “legal, privacy, and national security concerns,” noting their user base includes military personnel, judges, corporate executives, and journalists who handle sensitive information. 

Permanently enabled location tracking could compromise their security.

“This proposal would see phones operate as a dedicated surveillance device,” Digital forensics expert, Junade Ali, from Britain’s Institution of Engineering and Technology, said. 

Cooper Quintin, a security researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, called the idea “pretty horrifying” and said he had not heard of any similar proposal elsewhere.

Apple recently sent cyber threat notifications to users in 84 countries on December 2, warning them they may have been targeted by state-backed hackers. Apple has now notified users in over 150 countries about potential surveillance threats. 

Why do India’s telecom companies want this change? 

India’s Modi administration has expressed frustration for years that government agencies cannot obtain precise locations when making legal requests to telecom firms during investigations. The current cellular tower system can only provide estimated area locations, which are less efficient for surveillance operations.

Smartphone makers worsen the issue by displaying pop-up messages alerting users that “your carrier is trying to access your location.” 

The COAI believes the message alerts the target to the fact that they are being tracked by security agencies. The telecom group is urging the government to order phone makers to disable these notification features entirely.

Apple and Google’s lobby group argued in their July letter that these notifications “ensure transparency and user control over their location.”

India’s home ministry scheduled a meeting with top smartphone industry executives for Friday to discuss the matter, but it was postponed. At this point, no policy decision has been made by India’s IT or home ministries. 

India is the world’s second-largest mobile market and had 735 million smartphones as of mid-2025. Google’s Android powers more than 95% of these devices, with Apple’s iOS accounting for the remainder. Any policy decision would affect hundreds of millions of users and set a potential precedent for government surveillance capabilities worldwide.

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