India’s telecom ministry has made the inclusion of a panic button on cell phones a mandatory feature both for feature and smartphones. The new law will apply to all manufacturers including Apple and every major Android device maker. The panic button will have to be implemented into all new 2017 (and beyond) models of phones and phones built in 2018 (and beyond) will have to include GPS navigation. The new panic button law is being put into place as a measure to give women in India another measure of security and safety. This law was proposed by Maneka Gandhi, India’s minister for women and child development. The Indian government reports that there is a rape in India every 30 minutes, having an easily accessible panic button on cell phones could be an effective deterrent against crimes against women.
Feature phones are expected to make use of the keypad, specifically 5 and 9 as the panic button feature. Smartphone makers will have to find a way to make it work with their devices but one idea is pressing the power button three times in succession. Another idea is a lockscreen panic button you can long press to activate the feature. When the button is used it will contact emergency services number, which has yet to be determined but 112 is being proposed.
While there are smartphone apps that have such features and provide a measure of safety and security, not all users are aware of these apps and feature phone users don’t have access to them making this initiative useful for a broader number of women. The feature could also prove useful for more than just women, as any person in danger could probably benefit from using a panic button if the situation ever arose.
What do you think of India’s new law requiring all cell phones to have a panic button? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
[button link=”http://mashable.com/2016/04/26/india-mobile-phones-panic-button/#zxpvEyEJliqh” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Mashable[/button]Last Updated on January 23, 2017.
