Government tells WhatsApp, Telegram and others to link services to SIM cards: What it means for users

The Union government has issued new directives requiring messaging platforms to enforce SIM card verification and automatically log out web-based sessions every six hours. This means that users will be barred from accessing their services if they do not have a physical SIM card originally used to register for the application present in their device. The directive by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will affect major platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Arattai, Snapchat, Sharechat and others, and are aimed at combating cyber fraud.

According to the notice, these communication apps must ensure within 90 days that their services remain “continuously” linked to the SIM card used during registration.