Important news for WhatsApp users, government has taken a big step to stop online fraud, this rule will be implemented from March 1

If you use instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or Snapchat, then this news is very important for you. A new security rule is going to be implemented on all these platforms from March 1, which is called ‘SIM binding’. The central government has taken this big step to crack down on online financial fraud and cyber crimes.

In November, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had given these companies 90 days to implement this rule, the deadline of which is ending on February 28. The government has made it clear that there will be no extension in this deadline, which means that from March 1, all companies will have to follow this rule.

After all, what is SIM binding?

SIM binding is a security feature that ensures that the SIM card of the mobile number with which you are running the messaging app account is present and active in the same device. Till now it was possible that you could login to WhatsApp once with your number through OTP and then continue using the app with the help of Wi-Fi even after removing the SIM card. But now this will not be possible.

Under the new rules:

If you remove the SIM card from your mobile to which your WhatsApp or Telegram account is linked, these apps will stop working on that device. To get the app running again, you’ll need to insert the SIM card back into the phone and complete the login process.

Why did the government take this decision?

The main objective of the government behind implementing this rule is to stop the rapidly increasing financial frauds, especially incidents like ‘SIM swap’. In recent times, cyber criminals used to take control of messaging apps of users by making a duplicate of their SIM card or by somehow gaining access to their number. After this they used that account for financial fraud or other illegal activities. With the implementation of SIM binding, it will be almost impossible for hackers to do this, because it will be necessary to have a physical SIM card in the phone to run the app.

What will be the impact on common users?

For most users there is nothing to worry about. If you are using the same SIM card in the phone in which you are running WhatsApp, then nothing will change for you and your app will continue to work normally as before.

However, if you frequently change SIM cards or run apps on Wi-Fi on your primary phone by inserting your SIM in another phone, you may face inconvenience. Removing the SIM will temporarily disable your app. Apart from this, security has also been increased on the web versions of these apps (like WhatsApp Web). According to the new rule, the web account will automatically log out every 6 hours and you will have to log in again by scanning the QR code to use it again.