What is Geo-fencing?

News:The Government of India has planned to use the ‘Geo-Fencing App’ to locate quarantine violators.

Facts:

• Geo-fencing:It is a location-based service which uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a person or device enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location known as a geofence.
• Authorisation: Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act,1885 authorises State or Centre to access information of a user’s phone data in case of occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety.

Additional Facts:

• Radio-Frequency Identification(RFID):It is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object.A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.
• Wi-Fi: It is a radio transmission technology that allows digital devices to use high-speed internet without direct cable connections.
• Global Positioning System (GPS): It is a U.S.-owned satellite-based radio navigation system that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.