Starting March 1, WhatsApp, Telegram and different platforms that use cellular numbers for login should observe a brand new SIM-binding rule issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The order was initially issued on November 28 and corporations got 90 days to conform. The new rule requires messaging apps to make sure that companies work solely when the registered SIM card is current within the consumer’s major gadget. The transfer is a part of the federal government’s broader effort to cut back on-line fraud and misuse of cellular numbers. Non-compliance may appeal to motion underneath telecom and cybersecurity legal guidelines.
What is SIM-binding
At current, most messaging apps confirm customers via a one-time password (OTP) despatched to their cellular quantity throughout registration. Once verified, the app can proceed to operate even when the SIM is eliminated, modified or deactivated. Web variations, nevertheless, don’t require the SIM to stay lively within the gadget because the platform may be accessed via QR codes or OTP verification on internet.Under the brand new SIM-binding guidelines, the app should stay linked to the SIM card used for the consumer to proceed utilizing the platform. If the registered SIM is faraway from the first gadget, the app will cease working. This means customers will be unable to entry their accounts with out the lively SIM inserted of their telephone.
SIM-binding guidelines to come back into impact on March 1: What modifications for WhatsApp and different app customers
Once efffective, messaging platforms should be sure that their companies are all the time related to the lively SIM linked to the account underneath the brand new guidelines. In addition, web-based companies comparable to WhatsApp Web should robotically log off at the very least each six hours. Users might want to re-authenticate periodically.However, the six-hour auto-logout rule applies solely to internet periods and to not the principle cellular app the place the SIM is put in. The authorities has clarified that customers who’re travelling or roaming is not going to be affected so long as the SIM stays lively within the gadget.
Why the SIM-binding rule has been launched
According to DoT, cybercriminals have been misusing messaging apps by working accounts with out the unique SIM current. Fraudsters have reportedly used such loopholes to hold out phishing, impersonation and different scams, typically from exterior India.The new rule goals to make sure that each lively account is linked to a verified SIM issued via Know Your Customer (KYC) norms. Officials say this may enhance traceability and cut back misuse of telecom identifiers.
Industry response and issues
Some messaging firms are testing updates to adjust to the brand new rule. Reports counsel that WhatsApp beta variations already embrace prompts asking customers to verify that their registered SIM is current within the gadget.At the identical time, a bunch representing main messaging platforms has challenged the rule in court docket, arguing that it could transcend the federal government’s authority. The authorities, nevertheless, has maintained that SIM-binding is important for cybersecurity and fraud prevention.As the rule takes impact from March 1, customers of WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and different related apps could start noticing modifications in how their accounts operate, particularly on internet and desktop variations.
