Big tech cos cry foul over new phone verification rules

India’s proposed new cybersecurity rules under the Telecom Act threaten to pull everyday apps such as WhatsApp, Netflix, and Amazon under the country’s telecom regulations—just because they use phone numbers.

- Jatin Grover

The proposal, aimed at boosting cybersecurity, has sparked alarm among the global tech giants over user privacy, hefty compliance costs, and the overall future of India’s digital economy, and they have written to the government expressing their anguish.

The proposed rules also call for inclusion of other key services such as online banking, shopping, education, and even physical stores, under the law for their use of telecom identifiers like mobile numbers, to identify or interact with users.

Simply put, almost every digital service today—from chatting on WhatsApp to shopping on Amazon—uses telecom identifiers such as phone numbers to log users in, send onetime passwords, or deliver notifications.