Nokia Mappers Arrested in India
December 15, 2008 at 4:05 pm | In Mapping, geo, gps | 3 CommentsTags: gps, hysteria, india, Mapping, mumbai, nokia, police, sigh, terrorism
So, we mocked the UK government when they said that mappers were terrorists, but as Geocarta writes, two people in India, making a map with their GPS device have been arrested for this “reason”! Apparently they were working for the GI company Biond Software, collecting data for Nokia (and Navteq?). As of writing this post, the pair will be in day 7 in police custody.
Biond Softwares director Milind Dalvi, who came here and met the ATS officials, explained: ‘We have been commissioned by Nokia Navigator to do survey of major roads, terrain mapping and tourists destinations in the country using a GPS system. (source)
Citizens alerted the authorities after seeing the GPS devices on the cars. Then, after being arrested, they were futher doomed after the police saw that they were taking pictures of gates and walls, especially around an airport which has an army base next door.
From the India Times:
A police official told TOI that more than the data, the agency is interested in knowing to what end is the data used. “A detailed map can show strategic locations or disclose sensitive information, it can be used by terrorists or people with malafide interests. Thus, we are going through the maps and also questioning them about their clients,” said the official.
More info from India Times
From: http://geocartablog.com/?p=900
I’ve asked Nokia International for comment, but have yet to hear anything.
Edits: Nokia India’s press office email at communications.india@nokia.com is not working (user unknown error)!
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[...] like your favorite crowdsourcing mapping project, you have cause to be concerned. Chippy blogs they were working for a mapping company contracted by Nokia. That’s a legitimate, international corporation folks .. not a bunch of hackers wandering [...]
Pingback by Brain Off » GPS is not a crime :: Mikel Maron :: Building Digital Technology for Our Planet — December 15, 2008 #
here’s some more of the news links that I’ve found – mainly via Google’s News search.
http://nationalnewsofindiadaily.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-detained-in-gujarat-after-survey.html
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/two-map-makers-in-ahmedabad-ats-custody-for-seven-more-days_100130615.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/ATS_questioning_the_duo_in_GPS_case_from_Jamnagar/articleshow/3810468.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/GPS_surveyors_booked_under_OSA_/articleshow/3831158.cms
http://www.twocircles.net/2008dec15/guj_ats_arrests_2_hindu_youths_gps_device_maps_saurashtra.html
Comment by tim — December 15, 2008 #
[...] arrest, update December 19, 2008 at 3:20 pm | In geo | Tags: india, nokia So the story of the arrested Indian Nokia map collectors we reported on a couple of days ago has started to gain some spread. Reported on [...]
Pingback by Indian Mappers still under arrest, update « thinkwhere — December 19, 2008 #