JOIN USAccusing search engine giant Google of violating Indian norms for showing strategic locations of the country, BJP Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay today demanded Prime Minister's intervention into the matter.
"This is a matter of grave and very serious security threat to the country. Google India is violating Indian norms, our constitutional position on mapping and, in serious violation of defence norms and instructions Google is showing all military installations," Vijay told reporters here.
He said "They are showing nuclear reactors, our fighter jet hangers; what is more serious is- it is marking them- thus facilitating enemies with an actionable intelligence."
"....Google is showing all our military installations and our nuclear reactors with proper marking," Vijay said.
All other mapping agencies had to get permission from the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs, he said adding, "but Google has not got any permission from MOD and MHA."
Vijay said with the approval of Government of India, the Surveyor General of India has filed a complaint with the police in New Delhi against Google India alleging it has violated Indian laws on mapping and thus has jeopardised the Indian security.
"CBI is in the process of collecting all the data....; we have been raising this issue, my efforts to raise this issue and bring it to the attention of the government have failed."
Pointing out that new mapping policy requires all mapping data above 1:50 K collected by private agencies should be vetted by the Ministry of Defence, Vijay, who is a BJP spokesman, said "only Google is not following this norm."
"Google is working as an instrument of US government for snooping activity on India; all the data from India is being sent to its America based data belt. Indian government has no control on data collected by Google," he alleged.
Demanding swift action by Government, he sought Prime Minister's intervention into the matter. "Prime Minister must intervene in this matter and an American agency should not be put above Indian law."
He also said in view of this the Chief Election Commissioner of India has refused to get into an agreement with Google that could have provided the entire voter data of 800 million Indian voters to the company.
Vijay said "We are of the view that Google must be punished, its entire data should be investigated and it must be made to comply with Indian law."