All Cell Phones in India to Have Panic Buttons by Law

[Maura]

According to a news report in the Indian Express, via AppleInsider, the Indian government has just ruled that by January 2018, all cell phones in India must have some sort of panic button device equipped, as well as built-in GPS so that the location of the phone would be automatically shared when the panic button is pressed.

The government ruling says that smartphones in India will have to have some sort of added button or some sort of software pass-through to the power button that would trigger a panic alert when pressed. As Apple don’t usually release region-specific devices, the former option is not likely. It’s also possible that a country-specific Panic Button app will be released, as there are already several apps of that type in the App Store.

The Indian government has said that companies such as Apple would be able to add a triple-click command to the existing power button, which would be relatively easy for Apple to do.

The Indian government has taken this unprecedented step in a bid to keep women safe from the many reported attacks that occur in the country.

"Technology is solely meant to make human life better and what better than using it for the security of women,” said minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar. “I have taken a decision that from January 1, 2017, no cell phone can be sold without a provision for panic button and from January 1, 2018, mobile sets should also have inbuilt GPS.”

Sources: iPhones sold in India will require panic button starting in 2017

All phones sold in India from 2017 will have panic button, in-built GPS