Panic Button and Global Positioning System in Mobile Phone Handsets Rules 2016
Q. Which of the following is/are true?
1) From 1st January 2017, all mobile phones will be required to have the facility of identifying the location through satellite based GPS.
2) From 1st January 2018 all feature phones will have the facility of panic button.- Published on 28 Apr 16a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2
- The Department of Telecommunications has notified the rules on panic button under section 10 of the Indian Wireless Telegraph Act 1933.
- Under these rules, w.e.f. 1.1.2017, all feature phones will have the facility of panic button configured to the numeric key 5 or 9 and all smart phones will have the panic button configured to three times short pressing of the on-off button.
- Further, w.e.f. 1.1.2018, all mobile phones will be required to have the facility of identifying the location through satellite based GPS.
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development had taken up the issue of installation of a physical panic button on mobile phones. It was observed that in order to provide safety to women in distress situation, it is important to enable them to send out distress signal to a family member or the police authorities so that they can be rescued.
- The Ministry had discussed this issue with a number of stakeholders as well as Department of Telecommunications and had insisted that a physical panic button is much superior to having an App on the mobile phone.
- It was argued that a woman in distress does not have more than a second or two to send out a distress message as a perpetrator will often reach out to her mobile phone in the event of a physical/sexual assault.
