[Infowarrior] - Foreigners using GPS face arrest in China

[Richard Forno]

http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?id_article=12957

Foreigners using GPS face arrest in China

Mar 26, 2009
By Telecom Asia Staff
telecomasia.net

China's Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (BSM) has warned foreigners to  
turn off the GPS functions on their mobile phones, or risk arrest.

The bureau warned foreigners using GPS devices on mainland China that  
they could be detained if suspected of conducting illegal mapping.

The bureau has launched a crackdown on "illegal surveying", the South  
China Morning Post reported, with foreigners the main targets.

Under Chinese law, non-Chinese institutions or individuals intending  
to use mapping devices in China must file a request to the government  
- which can take months to approve - have their data submitted for  
vetting and be 'assisted' by Chinese authorities.

A US citizen, mining expert Calvin Herron, was arrested for using a  
handheld GPS device in a village near Luoyang in 2007, the bureau  
said. He was detained for four months, then deported and fined 100,000  
yuan ($14,640).

Chinese experts believe Herron was arrested for getting too close to  
guided missile sites believed to be situated in Luoyang.

http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?id_article=12957