Mumbai: A move to make SIM cards mandatory for using mobile applications is expected to deal a setback to millions of expatriates, according to a report. The directive, issued recently by the Department of Telecommunications under an amendment to the telecom law, states that apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, ShareChat and Arattai cannot be used without an active SIM card.
The order will most severely affect those travelling abroad and non-resident Indians visiting the country. Expatriates typically use local SIM cards in the countries they travel to in order to access mobile data, while continuing to send messages through apps activated with their primary Indian SIM cards. With the new rule coming into force, many of the chat apps they have been using for years will become invalid.
Using chat applications without a SIM card is neither unusual nor problematic, said Sanchit Vir Gogia, founder and chief analyst of Greyhound Research. He warned that enforcing the rule would disrupt several legitimate business activities. Once an account is cancelled for not having a SIM card, people will also lose access to crucial business chats and communications, he said. Ensuring cybersecurity does not require restricting app usage, he added.
The new directive will adversely affect professionals, businesses and economically vulnerable users, said Amol Kulkarni, research director at CUTS International. According to the Union Tourism Ministry, 30.89 million Indians travelled abroad last year. He cautioned that more than 35 million Indians expected to travel overseas next year would be unable to use apps the way they do in India if the regulation is implemented.
The order will help curb fraud and misuse exploiting gaps in telecom cybersecurity rules, said Prathay Lodh, a lawyer with the Delhi High Court specialising in telecom, IP and data protection. However, he warned that requiring citizens to repeatedly disclose personal information would compromise privacy. Those with dual SIM phones can sync messages between numbers, but long-term NRIs will have to re-register WhatsApp from scratch if their Indian SIM cards are deactivated, he said. Making SIM cards mandatory will not, by itself, eliminate cybersecurity abuse, he added.