Even as Google and Facebook get a breather from appearing in court over allegedly hosting offensive content, the search giant has had to deal with another legal issue pertaining to the Google Mapathon event’s India leg. While Google has maintained that the Mapathon contest was in line with Indian laws, the company could see some court time in India over allegedly violating the cartographical laws of the land.
According to an interview with the Indian Surveyor General[1], Indian citizens can't map their own neighborhoods for security reasons. They must contact the government for permission.
Ah, famous Indian bureaucracy at work! All Google needed to do was ask permission and make a "donation", I'm sure.
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The most interesting part was this:
Even as Google and Facebook get a breather from appearing in court over allegedly hosting offensive content, the search giant has had to deal with another legal issue pertaining to the Google Mapathon event’s India leg. While Google has maintained that the Mapathon contest was in line with Indian laws, the company could see some court time in India over allegedly violating the cartographical laws of the land.
According to an interview with the Indian Surveyor General[1], Indian citizens can't map their own neighborhoods for security reasons. They must contact the government for permission.
Ah, famous Indian bureaucracy at work! All Google needed to do was ask permission and make a "donation", I'm sure.
[1] http://m.economictimes.com/opinion/interviews/googles-mapath...
Not sure bureaucracy's the reason for that; most probably it's the (not unrealistic) fear of a Chinese/Pakistani attack.
Likely. Who'd ever enact a law without a goal?
But it's wrong headed and pointless as well as being unjust.