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Google and Apple have removed the offline navigation app MAPS.Me from their app stores following a legal notice from the Survey of India (SoI). The notice was served under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in December 2024 to Google’s Nodal Officer Mr Priyadarshi Banerjee.
The move followed the release of an app that was said to have shown the external demarcation of India in a wrong manner, especially as concerns the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The notice quoted the Criminal Law Amendment (Amending) Act, 1990, saying that depicting India in any wrong manner challenges the country's sovereignty and integrity. Following the notice, Google Play Store’s landing page for the app displayed the message: “We’re sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server.” Apple’s App Store also took down the app, but as of now, there is no information on whether Apple got a similar notice.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) appointed the Survey of India in 2020 as the authority that regulates map authenticity in the country. Under this directive, the SoI released a notice stating that misleading maps challenge the country's sovereignty.
The letter retrieved from the Lumen Database indicated that maps used within India must show correct and up-to-date information, especially regarding the external borders and the coastlines. The government asked Google to block or disable the app on the Play Store to avoid any further violations.
In 2023, the same notice was given for the World Map Quiz app that incorrectly portrayed the Indian territories. These actions show that the government continues to work on strict implementation of its mapping policies.
This case shows that app developers and intermediaries should comply with Indian laws. India has the strictest laws against the use of wrong maps, and hence, authorities move very fast to enforce the law on territorial integrity.
Google and Apple have effectively complied with the government’s order to stop sharing content threatening India's sovereignty by blocking access to MAPS.Me. App makers are encouraged to check the map's accuracy before submitting the marketplace application to avoid such effects.
