2 months ago
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Online messaging level WhatsApp appears to beryllium preparing to comply with the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) SIM-binding directive issued precocious past year.
The directive requires messaging platforms to guarantee that a user’s registered SIM paper is provisioned connected the handset utilized to entree the service, and to disable entree if it is not. It besides includes a perchance disruptive request that web-based instances, specified arsenic WhatsApp Web, beryllium logged retired each six hours.
The directions were issued connected November 28, 2025, by the DoT’s AI & Digital Intelligence Unit, nether its expanded authorization to modulate Telecommunication Identifier User Entity (TIUE)—defined arsenic immoderate online work that uses a telephone fig arsenic an identifier.
Meta, WhatsApp’s genitor company, had pushed backmost done manufacture bodies it is simply a portion of, including the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), arguing that the measures could origin “hurdles to the modern connection habits specified arsenic usage of planetary numbers during question [or] secondary devices”.
Beta version
In the latest beta versions of WhatsApp, codification references to the SIM-binding directions person been detected. A Meta spokesperson declined to remark connected the development, portion a DoT spokesperson didn’t instantly respond to queries connected whether the absorption would travel into unit this period arsenic primitively ordered.
The caller code, discovered by WABetaInfo—an autarkic blog which tracks changes successful WhatsApp’s codification often overmuch earlier nationalist rollout—includes a punctual connected the sign-in surface saying, “Due to regulatory requirements successful India, WhatsApp needs to cheque that your SIM paper is successful your device.”
The DoT did not respond aft concern hours connected whether it was considering extending the compliance deadline, which falls aboriginal this month.
