“It is evident that the subject map in the ‘WorldMap Quiz’ app at Google PlayStore depicts Indian map with erroneous external boundary of India which jeopardizes the Sovereignty and Integrity of India,” said the Survey of India (SoI) in a notice addressed to Google asking for the app to be blocked or disabled. This notice, as reviewed by MediaNama, states that the app inaccurately depicts the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The notice was issued by the Survey of India based on a complaint received by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Legal provisions that allow for the takedown of inaccurate maps:
Under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1990, the incorrect depiction of international boundaries is a penal offense and anyone who commits this offense can be imprisoned for a maximum period of six months or can be fined, or both. In a letter enclosed with SoI’s notice, MeitY says that SoI can ask an intermediary to take down content under Section 79 (3)(b) of the Information and Technology Act. Under this section, intermediaries can be asked to remove or disable access to a piece of content that is being used to commit an unlawful act.
Historical crackdown on inaccurate maps:
This isn’t the first time that an organization has been held accountable for an inaccurate portrayal of India. In 2021, a case was filed against Twitter for showing Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh outside of India on a map displayed on the “Tweep Life” section of its career page.
Similarly, last year, IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted highlighting that the messaging platform Whatsapp had excluded Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and some Indian territories claimed by China in a video it posted on Twitter. In his tweet, Chandrasekhar said that “All platforms that do business in India/want to continue to do business in India, must use correct maps,” according to a report by NDTV.
The aftermath of the notice:
As of July 26, the creator of the WorldMap Quiz app, Qbis Studio, has corrected the error in the Indian map. “Regarding the notice sent by Survey of India, we made a necessary correction in our application and released a new version about a month ago,” it said, according to a report by Moneycontrol. SoI has also issued another such notice to Google regarding MA 2 – President Simulator, another game on the PlayStore that depicted J&K and Ladakh incorrectly.
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