this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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69
SIM binding in India: What it means for WhatsApp, Telegram users and why the government wants it (www.moneycontrol.com)
submitted 1 week ago by sonofearth@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
8 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The Department of Telecommunications has told these apps that within the next 90 days, they must make sure their services work only when the correct SIM card is in the phone. If you remove that SIM, the app should stop working. This is known as SIM binding.

  • Continuous SIM presence: Apps must check regularly whether the original SIM card is still inserted in your phone. If not, the app must automatically stop working until you insert the correct SIM again.
  • Web access restrictions: If you use WhatsApp Web or similar web versions, the government wants you to get logged out automatically every six hours. To log in again, you will have to scan a QR code with the app. This is to ensure the device and user are genuine.

People who use these apps on secondary devices without a SIM, or those who keep their SIM in one phone but use the app on another, may face interruptions

I don't even see the point of this:

  • Surveillance?
  • Some Incoming telecom plan change which will require you to have a special plan for using Messengers because no one uses SMS and don't bother to have an SMS plan? so telecom networks can make some more money?
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[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm more thinking along the lines of getting a cheap sim, signing up for signal and them letting the plan lapse and the number is released for use again. And then someone buys a new plan, but gets the recycled number. Not sure how realistic that is as a risk vector though.

[–] sonofearth@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

But I don't think it would make any difference. What would actually secure the account is the internal account password which both Signal and Whatsapp already have.

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 1 points 1 week ago

If you hold the number it can't get recycled into distribution. Signal does fall back to MFA codes over SMS from memory (I've recovered the signal account for my grandma, as I own the number), so anyone who controls the number controls the account.