Since 2017, all mobile phones in India should be equipped with a panic button

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    Approximately every 30 minutes, rape is committed in India. In 2014, 337 thousand crimes against women were recorded. This figure, compared to the previous year, grew by 9.2%, so the government decided that since 2017 all mobile phones should be equipped with a panic button.

    “When the panic button is pressed, the phone will alert the police and specially selected friends / relatives to respond immediately in case of emergency,” said Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

    In smartphones, this function will be activated by a quick triple press on the power button of the device, and in ordinary phones by pressing the 5 or 9 button.

    According to the Minister for Motherhood and Childhood, Maneki Sanjay Gandhi , such a button is likely to be a deterrent to potential criminals. The task of the government is to ensure that by next year current users gain access to the functionality of the “panic button” without buying new phones, cio.com reports .

    Gandhi said that she will work with suppliers of cell phones, so that firmware patches will be available for download, and in some vendor stores it will be possible to program push-button phones so that they can make emergency calls.

    Also, from January 2018, mobile phones will need to have built-in GPS systems to help locate the injured person in the event of harassment or danger.

    Over the past few years, the country has seen significant growth in the smartphone market. India in 2015 became the second country in the world, after China, with the number of users of mobile services over 1 billion people. However, Pankai Mohindro, president of the Indian Cellular Association, said new measures would reduce the availability of smartphones for poor Indians.

    The association says that installing GPS in a smartphone will increase consumer spending from 266 to 400 rupees ($ 4-6), which is a problem when you consider that the average wage in the country is about 270 rupees per day.

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