Before travelling to another country with your tech, it always pays to see how the local laws might affect you and the tech you carry. For example, some countries have restrictions on VPN usage or encryption technologies. Thus if you’re going to one of those countries, you might want to avoid using a VPN or bringing a laptop that’s encrypted.
Now to be clear, this example that I am about to bring you is not a case of blame the victim. It’s more of a cautionary tale:
In early December, a Canadian trail runner named Tina Lewis was two months into her extended trip to India when she ran into legal trouble due to her backcountry GPS communication device.
On December 6, Lewis, 51, arrived at Dabolim International Airport in the city of Goa, to fly to the nearby city of Kochi. She was traveling with a Garmin inReach Mini, a popular GPS and satellite messaging device often used by backpackers and climbers.
“It had been an amazing trip, the trip of a lifetime,” Lewis told Outside.
But when Lewis removed her InReach from her carry-on bag and placed it onto a scanning tray, she said a security officer approached her and asked her questions about the device. Lewis said armed guards then removed her from the line.
Lewis missed her flight. For the next four hours she was detained and interrogated about the InReach. Although her eventual fine was just $11, Lewis said she spent more than $2,000 to pay legal fees and bail.
“They treated me like a frickin’ fugitive,” she said.
And:
Lewis had unknowingly violated an Indian law that requires individuals to obtain a license before owning or using a personal satellite communication device. Lewis spent the next six days attempting to get her passport back from authorities. She had to appear in court on three consecutive days, and she eventually hired lawyers to avoid jail time.
India’s laws prohibiting individuals from owning satellite devices are published online: Unless registered and licensed by the government, satellite communicators are illegal. The Garmin website lists India as one of 14 countries that may “regulate or prohibit the use or possession of a satellite communicator” or are otherwise embargoed by the United States. The other nations on the list are Afghanistan, Ukrainian Crimea, Cuba, Georgia, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Russia.
But the roots of the law are tied to an obscure rule from India’s past. The ban on satellite communication originated with the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. According to Global Rescue, an international medical and security evacuation service, these older laws were reinforced after the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, when an Islamist militia used satellite communicators to coordinate bombings and shootings that killed nearly 200 people.
Now from first hand experience having travelled to the country on several occasions, I can say that India has some “interesting” laws when it comes to tech. But this one is kind of surprising. Though I can see from India’s perspective why they need a law like this one. The flip side of that is that the Garmin InReach is a popular device among those who go to remote areas on a frequent basis. Thus you would think that that this is a law that requires modernization for that reason.
By the way, this Canadian wasn’t the only person caught up in a situation like this:
She isn’t the only traveler to run afoul of the law. On December 9, just three days after Lewis’ arrest, a Czech traveler named Martin Polesny with a Garmin was detained at another Goa state airport. The following day, an American named Joshua Ivan Richardson was arrested with a satellite phone in Dehradun. A month prior, another American was detained at Chennai airport for the same reason.
Well, that’s not going to help with getting tourists into India and spending money there. Because now that these stories are out there, the users of these devices are going to think twice about going there because few if any of them are going to leave their Garmin InReach devices at home.
Oh. To borrow a phrase that was often used by Steve Jobs, there’s one more thing:
Direct satellite communication features are increasingly standard in modern smartphones. The newest versions of Apple’s iPhones have satellite communication capabilities. iPhones allow users to send messages to emergency services, share location, and stay in touch with emergency contacts, all while off the grid, with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, via satellite connection.
So in theory, if I go to India with my iPhone 14 Pro which has a feature called SOS Over Satellite, I could get into trouble. Well, seeing as I don’t go anywhere without my phone I have two choices. Take my chances or avoid going to India. And it will likely be the latter. Thus if I could give one piece of advice to the Indian government, you need to rethink this law. And at the same time, if I could give one piece of advice to travellers, check the local laws in regards to your tech and make your travel plans accordingly.
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This entry was posted on January 2, 2025 at 8:34 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Garmin, India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Canadian Gets Held By Indian Authorities For Carrying A Garmin InReach Satellite Communication Device
Before travelling to another country with your tech, it always pays to see how the local laws might affect you and the tech you carry. For example, some countries have restrictions on VPN usage or encryption technologies. Thus if you’re going to one of those countries, you might want to avoid using a VPN or bringing a laptop that’s encrypted.
Now to be clear, this example that I am about to bring you is not a case of blame the victim. It’s more of a cautionary tale:
In early December, a Canadian trail runner named Tina Lewis was two months into her extended trip to India when she ran into legal trouble due to her backcountry GPS communication device.
On December 6, Lewis, 51, arrived at Dabolim International Airport in the city of Goa, to fly to the nearby city of Kochi. She was traveling with a Garmin inReach Mini, a popular GPS and satellite messaging device often used by backpackers and climbers.
“It had been an amazing trip, the trip of a lifetime,” Lewis told Outside.
But when Lewis removed her InReach from her carry-on bag and placed it onto a scanning tray, she said a security officer approached her and asked her questions about the device. Lewis said armed guards then removed her from the line.
Lewis missed her flight. For the next four hours she was detained and interrogated about the InReach. Although her eventual fine was just $11, Lewis said she spent more than $2,000 to pay legal fees and bail.
“They treated me like a frickin’ fugitive,” she said.
And:
Lewis had unknowingly violated an Indian law that requires individuals to obtain a license before owning or using a personal satellite communication device. Lewis spent the next six days attempting to get her passport back from authorities. She had to appear in court on three consecutive days, and she eventually hired lawyers to avoid jail time.
India’s laws prohibiting individuals from owning satellite devices are published online: Unless registered and licensed by the government, satellite communicators are illegal. The Garmin website lists India as one of 14 countries that may “regulate or prohibit the use or possession of a satellite communicator” or are otherwise embargoed by the United States. The other nations on the list are Afghanistan, Ukrainian Crimea, Cuba, Georgia, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Russia.
But the roots of the law are tied to an obscure rule from India’s past. The ban on satellite communication originated with the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. According to Global Rescue, an international medical and security evacuation service, these older laws were reinforced after the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, when an Islamist militia used satellite communicators to coordinate bombings and shootings that killed nearly 200 people.
Now from first hand experience having travelled to the country on several occasions, I can say that India has some “interesting” laws when it comes to tech. But this one is kind of surprising. Though I can see from India’s perspective why they need a law like this one. The flip side of that is that the Garmin InReach is a popular device among those who go to remote areas on a frequent basis. Thus you would think that that this is a law that requires modernization for that reason.
By the way, this Canadian wasn’t the only person caught up in a situation like this:
She isn’t the only traveler to run afoul of the law. On December 9, just three days after Lewis’ arrest, a Czech traveler named Martin Polesny with a Garmin was detained at another Goa state airport. The following day, an American named Joshua Ivan Richardson was arrested with a satellite phone in Dehradun. A month prior, another American was detained at Chennai airport for the same reason.
Well, that’s not going to help with getting tourists into India and spending money there. Because now that these stories are out there, the users of these devices are going to think twice about going there because few if any of them are going to leave their Garmin InReach devices at home.
Oh. To borrow a phrase that was often used by Steve Jobs, there’s one more thing:
Direct satellite communication features are increasingly standard in modern smartphones. The newest versions of Apple’s iPhones have satellite communication capabilities. iPhones allow users to send messages to emergency services, share location, and stay in touch with emergency contacts, all while off the grid, with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, via satellite connection.
So in theory, if I go to India with my iPhone 14 Pro which has a feature called SOS Over Satellite, I could get into trouble. Well, seeing as I don’t go anywhere without my phone I have two choices. Take my chances or avoid going to India. And it will likely be the latter. Thus if I could give one piece of advice to the Indian government, you need to rethink this law. And at the same time, if I could give one piece of advice to travellers, check the local laws in regards to your tech and make your travel plans accordingly.
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This entry was posted on January 2, 2025 at 8:34 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Garmin, India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.