The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a directive requiring messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, to log users out every six hours.
The directive last week mandated that the user's subscriber identity module (SIM) used at registration must be bound to the services of web-based platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Arattai, Snapchat, Sharechat, and others.
As the service must remain tied to the SIM in the phone, WhatsApp Web and similar web companions are forced to log users out every six hours once the rule is implemented.
Within 90 days, users will no longer be able to access these apps unless the original SIM is present in the device, the DoT circular showed. Each web-based platform must submit a compliance report within four months.
The change will disrupt the seamless multi‑device experience many gained by keeping WhatsApp Web running throughout the workday. The government felt the move was necessary to prevent misuse of messaging apps as cyber fraudsters exploited WhatsApp without having the SIM present, often from outside India.
Making SIM binding mandatory provides a way to trace activity to a physical subscriber.
The rules flowed from the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, which introduced the idea of a Telecommunication Identifier User Entity.
The rules flow from the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, which introduced the Telecommunication Identifier User Entity requirement. Under the revised rules, platforms will need access to the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) stored on the SIM, requiring global services such as WhatsApp to re-engineer parts of their system for Indian users.
Tech companies said that constant SIM checks and six‑hour logouts will erode user privacy, break multi‑device convenience, and complicate access when travelling, while telecom operators backed the move.
(With inputs from IANS)
