Mobile phones sold in India will have to include panic buttons from January 2017.
That’s not all, from January 2018 mobile phones will also have to include GPS capabilities, to enable device tracking.
The Indian Government are acting after a string of high profile rape cases. One case in particular caught worldwide attention, dubbed as the 2012 Dehli Gang Rape.
Jyoti Singh was raped and died from her injuries after being attacked on a bus by a group of men. Last year an Uber driver was convicted for raping a female passenger, questioning Uber’s background screening for potential drivers.
India saw 3337,922 reported crimes against women in 2014, including 36,000 rapes, a 9% increase from the previous year.
Panic button
Department of Telecommunications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad confirmed the rule will be in effect in 2017. Prasad said “from Jan 2017, Panic Button in every new phone, to help our women in distress, with the power of technology.”
The panic buttons are activated by pressing the 5 or 9 keys, or alternatively pressing the power button three times will also alert authorities or designated people.
Apps are available to help women combat against attackers, but prove to be impractical due time sensitivity of situations.
While the measures are welcomed, it remains to be seen whether sexual assault against women can indeed be dealt with the new ruling. Women in the Gujarat region have been banned from using mobile phones as the devices were apparently distracting them form their studies.
For more news, visit What Mobile’s dedicated news page.
Via Sky News.
