THEHACKCITY

     The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued new directives requiring app-based communication platforms to ensure their services cannot be used without an active SIM card. This move follows the introduction of the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025 , which expand telecom regulations to include a new category called Telecommunication Identifier User Entity (TIUE) . Under these amended rules, TIUEs must meet several cybersecurity requirements. One major requirement is the mandatory use of a Mobile Number Validation (MNV) Platform to verify users linked to a mobile number. Additionally, the government now has the authority to instruct TIUEs to stop using specific telecom identifiers for user verification or service delivery if needed. Why these rules matter When the TIUE framework was first proposed, experts raised concerns that the definition was too broad. Because TIUE includes any organisation that uses mobile numbers to identify or se...

WhatsApp Banned More Than 2 Million Accounts In India in a month, WhatsApp has confirmed that as many 2 million user accounts in India were banned on the instant messaging platform between 15th May and 15th June. This comes as part of the India’s Monthly Report under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The company revealed that it had banned 20,11,000 accounts in this one-month period. WhatsApp identifies Indian accounts via the country code +91 of the mobile phone number used to register. It also added that India alone accounts for 25 percent of all banned accounts in the world. The company identifies an Indian account via +91 phone number. Stating that more than 95% of such bans are due to the unauthorized use of automated or bulk messaging, the company added that these numbers have increased significantly since 2019 because its systems have increased in sophistication, and hence are detecting more accounts even as it b...