Amazon in trouble again for distorted India map
They say if once bitten, people are twice shy, but this doesn't apply to Amazon. Once again, the company is in trouble over a distorted map of India minus Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which was printed in a brochure for the recent Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global Summit in Mumbai. Despite repeated calls for an apology, Amazon hasn't yet responded.
What did Amazon do this time?
The flaw was noticed by Dinesh O Bareja of Open Security Alliance, who has been demanding the map's removal. The disputed area of Kashmir has simply been dropped from India's map. Bareja sent his first mail to Amazon on May 4, following which they called him and expressed regret, but he wants a public apology since "this isn't a personal issue but a national issue."
Bareja wants Amazon to "apologize to the nation"
Incorrect representation on maps liable to fines of Rs. 100cr
An AWS spokesperson was quoted as saying they are taking this issue seriously and trying to ensure such "inadvertent errors" aren't repeated, but there's no official response yet. Under the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016, the depiction of India's map in violation of the government's standards is liable for imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of Rs. 100cr.
Amazon has often sold products insulting India
Amazon has repeatedly flouted laws on India's national and religious icons. In 2016, it faced flak after selling doormats with pictures of Indian deities. Last year, Amazon Canada landed in a controversy over doormats featuring the Indian tricolor being sold on the platform. Days later, it was found the portal was also selling Indian maps that varied from the government's official version.
Other giants too have faced similar protests
Incidentally, Amazon isn't the only corporate giant to make such mistakes. Facebook had to apologize after it showed J&K as a part of China in a map. The I&B Ministry banned news channel Al Jazeera after it repeatedly kept using wrong maps of India.
