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SIM card may be made a must to use WhatsApp

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WhatsApp is mulling an update wherein users can use the instant messaging app only if a mobile phone has a SIM card. The solution proposed by the department of telecommunications (DoT) to the Meta-owned company is aimed at curbing financial fraud, spam calls and impersonation, according to people aware of the matter.

Currently, first-time users of WhatsApp can only use the app after verification, that is, either by receiving a call or message on the phone number entered.

However, after the verification is done, even if users remove the SIM card from the phone then also they will be able to use WhatsApp for messaging and calling by using Wi-Fi. Further, there are websites which also offer fake numbers, using which WhatsApp can be operated.

“We have had many discussions with WhatsApp to introduce a SIM binding-like kind of feature wherein they do periodic audits to check if a phone has a SIM card in it or not,” a government official said, adding that the focus is to control WhatsApp impersonation and other types of financial frauds.

SIM binding means pairing devices such as smartphones to the SIM card. The technology, which is largely used by banks, uses a combination of SIM detection and SMS/call verification that validates the user’s cell phone number against the one that is registered with the bank. The technology is used largely for security purposes.

Recently, The Indian Express reported that there are publicly available free websites such as receive-smss.com, sms24.me that allow you to choose from phone numbers of any country and use them on services such as WhatsApp that require a one-time password (OTP) to start an account.

“The idea within the government is to block fraud WhatsApp accounts and phone numbers after due diligence and verification so that the fraud can be stopped even before it originates. We will have to see how WhatsApp is able to act on the proposed SIM binding feature or comes with other solutions,” another government official said, adding the government also shares the numbers issued on fake IDs with WhatsApp and the company is acting on the government’s request.

Going forward, there might be an internal portal wherein the DoT will update the list of fake mobile numbers for easy coordination with WhatsApp.

Last month, WhatsApp announced additional security features such as account protect, device verification and automatic security codes for users.

Among newly introduced features, the account protect feature will involve an extra security verification if a user moves its account from old to new device. The company will ask the users to verify on their old device before switching to a new device.

The company also uses a two-step verification that will require a PIN when a user registers phone number with WhatsApp again.

“Bad actors find different ways to scam users. International scam calls is a new way that bad actors have recently adopted. By giving a missed call, they lead curious users to call or message back only to get scammed. Therefore, we have quickly ramped up our AI & ML (artificial intelligence and machine learning) systems to bring down such incidents significantly,” a WhatsApp spokesperson had said when the government talked about sending a notice to the company amid a rise in spam calls from international numbers.

“Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50% and we expect to be able to control the current incidence effectively. We continue to provide several in-built safety tools like block & report, two-step verification among others, along with regularly driving user safety education and awareness,” the spokesperson added.

In March, WhatsApp banned over 4.7 million accounts, higher than over 4.5 million in February, in order to curb abuse on the platform in the form of misinformation, fake news and hate speech.

Of the total banned accounts in March, 1.66 million were proactively banned by WhatsApp before any user flagged any grievance, according to a report by the company.




WhatsApp is mulling an update wherein users can use the instant messaging app only if a mobile phone has a SIM card. The solution proposed by the department of telecommunications (DoT) to the Meta-owned company is aimed at curbing financial fraud, spam calls and impersonation, according to people aware of the matter.

Currently, first-time users of WhatsApp can only use the app after verification, that is, either by receiving a call or message on the phone number entered.

However, after the verification is done, even if users remove the SIM card from the phone then also they will be able to use WhatsApp for messaging and calling by using Wi-Fi. Further, there are websites which also offer fake numbers, using which WhatsApp can be operated.

“We have had many discussions with WhatsApp to introduce a SIM binding-like kind of feature wherein they do periodic audits to check if a phone has a SIM card in it or not,” a government official said, adding that the focus is to control WhatsApp impersonation and other types of financial frauds.

SIM binding means pairing devices such as smartphones to the SIM card. The technology, which is largely used by banks, uses a combination of SIM detection and SMS/call verification that validates the user’s cell phone number against the one that is registered with the bank. The technology is used largely for security purposes.

Recently, The Indian Express reported that there are publicly available free websites such as receive-smss.com, sms24.me that allow you to choose from phone numbers of any country and use them on services such as WhatsApp that require a one-time password (OTP) to start an account.

“The idea within the government is to block fraud WhatsApp accounts and phone numbers after due diligence and verification so that the fraud can be stopped even before it originates. We will have to see how WhatsApp is able to act on the proposed SIM binding feature or comes with other solutions,” another government official said, adding the government also shares the numbers issued on fake IDs with WhatsApp and the company is acting on the government’s request.

Going forward, there might be an internal portal wherein the DoT will update the list of fake mobile numbers for easy coordination with WhatsApp.

Last month, WhatsApp announced additional security features such as account protect, device verification and automatic security codes for users.

Among newly introduced features, the account protect feature will involve an extra security verification if a user moves its account from old to new device. The company will ask the users to verify on their old device before switching to a new device.

The company also uses a two-step verification that will require a PIN when a user registers phone number with WhatsApp again.

“Bad actors find different ways to scam users. International scam calls is a new way that bad actors have recently adopted. By giving a missed call, they lead curious users to call or message back only to get scammed. Therefore, we have quickly ramped up our AI & ML (artificial intelligence and machine learning) systems to bring down such incidents significantly,” a WhatsApp spokesperson had said when the government talked about sending a notice to the company amid a rise in spam calls from international numbers.

“Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50% and we expect to be able to control the current incidence effectively. We continue to provide several in-built safety tools like block & report, two-step verification among others, along with regularly driving user safety education and awareness,” the spokesperson added.

In March, WhatsApp banned over 4.7 million accounts, higher than over 4.5 million in February, in order to curb abuse on the platform in the form of misinformation, fake news and hate speech.

Of the total banned accounts in March, 1.66 million were proactively banned by WhatsApp before any user flagged any grievance, according to a report by the company.

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