Mind

This week we revisited Map laws

The government is trying to exercise strict control over your map-based apps. If it has its way, even sitting up on your roof and drawing a cityscape —or reproducing a panoramic photograph of a city taken on your camera—will be illegal. The Geospatial bill is under fire from the mapping, ­digital-freedom and privacy experts, who feel its language has gone several steps too far. No version of India’s physical space can be reproduced as a result of its ­provisions. To make things clear, the only thing the new bill allows is giving directions to your house to ­lost visitors—provided they don’t jot down what they hear, and no map is used to give them directions.