CBI registers enquiry against Google for showing classified sites on its Maps

August 9, 2014

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a Preliminary Enquiry against Google on the basis of allegations made by Surveyor General of India (SoI) Swarna Subba Rao who alleged that Google did not refrain from mentioning classified sites despite being warned against it.
Google had not taken permission from SoI before organizing a mapping contest in February-March 2013 in which they asked citizens to map their neighborhoods, particularly details related to hospitals and restaurants.
According to the National Map Policy 2005, “the responsibility for producing, maintaining and disseminating the topographic map database of the whole country, which is the foundation of all spatial data, vests with the Survey of India”.
There are allegations that Google India had launched a countrywide competition and people might have passed on maps and other important details of strategic installations located in other cities and states to the Internet giant.
From the perspective of national security, civil and military Vital Areas, Vital Points (VPs) cannot be displayed on the map/data published in public domain.