- The Kerala Forest Department has decided to identify and remove illegally geotagged locations within the state's forests from online mapping platforms, citing risks to human lives, wildlife, and ecologically fragile zones.
- The Government has proposed several tax reforms through the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, including relaxation of tax rules for offshore funds and new exemptions for data centres and foreign investors.
- The Cabinet approved the continuation of the PM-KISAN scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with a total financial outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore.
- Sarnath, the ancient site where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, becoming India's 45th and Uttar Pradesh's fourth World Heritage Site.
- World War II's D-Day landing beaches in northern France and the iconic Mount Olympus in Greece were among the sites added to the World Heritage List on July 26.
The Kerala Forest Department is taking significant steps to address the issue of illegal geotagging in the state's forests. The department plans to identify and remove illegally geotagged locations from online mapping platforms, citing serious risks to both human lives and wildlife.1
The government has expressed concerns that these geotagged locations are directing visitors to dangerous areas within protected forests, which can disturb the surrounding ecosystem. “Geotagged locations inside protected forest areas were directing visitors toward places where entry could be dangerous,” a government spokesperson stated.
Illegal geotagging, defined as the unauthorized capture and sharing of location-specific information, poses threats to national security and public safety. The department has noted that even trekking routes used by forest personnel in protected areas, including parts of Silent Valley, have been made publicly accessible through these geotags.
While there is currently no standalone law banning geotagging, the department is considering legal action against individuals who uploaded such geotags in reserve and protected areas. “Illegal Geotagging may violate the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other security-related regulations,” officials warned.
This initiative reflects a growing awareness of the need to protect ecologically sensitive areas from the risks posed by unauthorized digital mapping.
“The geotagging crackdown targets even forest-department trekking routes inside protected areas such as Silent Valley; violations may draw legal action under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, or the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The same week brought a seventh Western Ghats ESA draft notification covering 56,825.7 sq km.”
Vajiram & Ravi
The Indian Express
