This mandate, circulated on November 28 has triggered people and sparked reactions online, especially from users who depend heavily on uninterrupted WhatsApp Web access for work and travel.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in India issued a new directive under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025 targeting digital fraud and unauthorized account access, to enforce strict SIM-based verification rules, including an automatic logout of their web and desktop services every six hours.  

This mandate, circulated on November 28 has triggered people and sparked reactions online, especially from users who depend heavily on uninterrupted WhatsApp Web access for work and travel. With these new instructions, platforms must ensure that the messaging account remains continuously linked to the same active SIM card used during registration. If a user removes or swaps the SIM card from the device, the corresponding messaging app will immediately stop functioning. However, the DoT’s requirement is that all “associated web services,” such as WhatsApp Web, must log out the users every six hours, with no exceptions. Re-authentication will require the familiar QR code to scan each time.  

The rules must be applied within 90 days, placing the compliance deadline around February 2026. The DoT has also asked platforms to file progress reports over the next four months, signaling the severity of the issue. 

According to officials, this move comes from the rising concerns over online fraud and the ease with which cybercriminals, specifically the rise of cybercrimes and scams on WhatsApp. Numerous cases were found where apps continued functioning even after the original SIM was no longer present, providing a loophole to hijack dormant accounts. 

Disrupting Workflow- Online Reactions* 

The backlash has been intense online. A User on Threads commented “Well there goes my productivity at work” highlighting the impact on work conditions. Social media platforms have been filled with complaints where some agreed with the step towards reducing scams as others are concerned about the workflow. 

Users who depend on WhatsApp Web for daily office communication say the six-hour logout window will “slow down already chaotic workdays.” Reddit threads are filled with comments calling the rule “friction at its finest” and “a total productivity killer.” Another widely shared post described the policy as “a major headache disguised as a security measure.” 

However, besides the frustration, many users have raised privacy questions. Critics fear that tying messaging apps strictly to active SIM presence effectively expands the government’s visibility into communication patterns, especially during SIM swaps, travels, or device changes. Those who travel abroad frequently have expressed concern that temporary foreign SIM use may render their Indian messaging accounts inoperable. 

This implementation as it sets confirms the significant shift of the India’s digital messaging landscape questioning whether the six-hour logout would create chaos or a sustained solution.