NEW DELHI (Kashmir English): In a sweeping new measure aimed at tightening digital surveillance, the Indian government has ordered major messaging platforms to block access for all users who do not have an active SIM card linked to their device.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the directive has been issued to for WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai and Josh under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, bringing app-based communication platforms under telecom-style regulation for the first time.
The Department of Telecommunications has instructed these services, now categorised as Telecommunication Identifier User Entities (TIUEs), to ensure that each user’s SIM remains continuously linked to the app within a 90-day window.
For web users, the Modi regime has introduced an even stricter requirement: mandatory auto log-outs every six hours, followed by QR-based re-authentication — a move critics see as an attempt to further restrict anonymous or secure digital communication.
Cybersecurity experts have said the new rule may do little to stop criminals, who can easily acquire SIM cards through forged or borrowed IDs. They warn instead that the move strengthens state surveillance, undermines user privacy and expands government control over digital communication.
India’s strategy of monitoring online activity
Analysts pointed out that the step aligns with India’s broader strategy of restricting secure channels, monitoring online activity and tightening the information regime — particularly in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where communication controls have long been weaponized to suppress dissent.
