The Indian government has directed app-based communication services like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure continuous linkage to a user's active SIM card to combat cyber fraud. Non-compliance will result in penalties under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
The Indian government has extended the deadline for implementing SIM-binding rules for mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to December 31, following requests from the industry. The Department of Telecom has also relaxed the mandatory six-hour log-out rule for web versions of these apps.
The Haryana Police have launched 'Abhedya', a mobile application designed to curb cybercrime, extortion, and threatening calls. This initiative makes Haryana the first state in India to introduce such a measure, aiming to protect citizens from various forms of digital harassment.
The missive has, however, polarised stakeholders, with mobile operators under COAI coming out in its support, while digital platforms under the aegis of Broadband India Forum expressing "serious concerns" around overreach and calling for a pause in implementation of timelines.
Police investigation reveals doctors linked to Al Falah University used the Threema app to plan the Delhi blast. The app's encryption and private server capabilities made it difficult to trace their communications.
A 64-year-old man from Thane was allegedly defrauded of 1.56 crore by cybercriminals using a 'digital arrest' scam, involving forged documents and constant surveillance.
The directions follow a report by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, which has seen a new pattern of transnational cyber-enabled financial fraud and investment scam, impersonating as stockbrokers and company executives.
App-based communication services providers and Indian telcos are at loggerheads over the SIM-binding directions issued by the department of telecom, which are to be complied with by the end of February 2026.
A 78-year-old woman in Mumbai was defrauded of over 25 lakh after a scammer gained access to her mobile phone under the guise of updating her electricity bill details.
The Maharashtra government is forming a committee headed by the Director General of Police to address the issue of defamation through social media platforms. The committee will study the issue and suggest measures to take action against those who defame individuals through social media.
Cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK reports that online fraudsters are using a new toolkit called 'Digital Lutera' to bypass security features of UPI apps and carry out fraudulent financial transactions.
Cyber threats aren't always invisible -- sometimes they're right beside you.
Punjab Police is using intelligence-led policing and digital tools, including AI-powered voice recognition, to combat organised crime and dismantle gangster networks operating across states and continents.
India has launched digital tools for its upcoming fully digital Census 2027, including mobile apps and a self-enumeration portal, aiming for efficient and accurate data collection.
With the Department of Telecom asking mobile phone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi application in new handsets, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday described it as a 'snooping app' and alleged that the government is turning the country into a dictatorship.
Mobile internet services have been suspended in five districts of western Meghalaya following violence related to tribal council elections. Curfews are in place and elections have been postponed.
Days after his ministry told smartphone makers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said users are free to delete the Sanchar Saathi app, and it will remain dormant till they register on it.
Two men have been arrested in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly sharing photos and location details of religious sites with a Pakistan-based gangster network, raising concerns of a potential terror plot.
Paytm (One 97 Communications Ltd), India's full-stack merchant payments leader serving MSMEs and enterprises, has launched a fully redesigned version of its flagship app, integrating artificial intelligence-driven features to streamline and personalise everyday transactions for its users.
The outcome of the investigations essentially formed the basis for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to issue a sweeping directive on November 28 last year, mandating that app-based communication services like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal must be continuously linked to an active, physical SIM card within the device.
'As long as apps show impossible delivery times, delivery and packaging workers will be pressured to meet unsafe, unhealthy standards.'
Members of the terror module under scanner for the deadly blast near the Red Fort, relied on an unusual yet effective method of communication to avoid detection -- through unsent emails kept as drafts.
While experts claimed that Patanjali's Swadeshi messaging app was removed form Google Play over security concerns, Kimbho declared that it was removed because of heavy traffic.
The family of a doctor who allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra claims her phone was unlocked and data erased after her death, raising suspicions of foul play.
The government on Wednesday withdrew the order mandating pre-installation of cyber security app Sanchar Saathi on smartphones by manufacturers.
A retired soldier of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh has been duped of Rs 98 lakh after being kept under 15 days 'digital arrest' by the fraudsters, officials said on Friday.
Bangladesh's Cricketers' Welfare Association (CWAB) president Mohammad Mithun has said that he has received death threats for taking a stand for the players.
Once the OS layer is opened to the State, it doesn't close, notes Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The application claimed that since the inception of the SIR process in the state, the EC has issued instructions to officers at the ground level through "informal and extra-statutory channels", such as WhatsApp messages and oral directions conveyed during video conferences, instead of issuing formal written instructions.
'Just like oral hygiene, cyber hygiene must become a daily habit,' says Beena Vaheed, executive director, Bank of Baroda. 'It is not enough to rely only on banks, companies, or the government. Each of us must play our part.'
'Instead of the government and telecom operators solving the mess of their own creation, they're telling us we need to give access to our phones perpetually.'
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Election Commission on a plea by Trinamool Congress MPs alleging irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Digital lending apps extend small amounts at exorbitant rates. Payment delays invite messages to customer or close family members, often with sensitive information such as Aadhaar and PAN Card scans.
Meta has announced new anti-scam features and awareness initiatives, including safety tools and tips to protect users, particularly senior citizens from cyber fraud and online scams, as the social media giant stepped up efforts to help people stay safe online.
A majority of respondents in a survey said they will not use WhatsApp payment features and may discontinue business chat if the app shares information with Facebook and third parties, according to a survey. The survey -- conducted around WhatsApp new proposed policy across the country covering over 17,000 respondents -- found that five per cent users have deleted the app, while 22 per cent claimed to have reduced using the mobile messaging platform.
TRAI seeks views to regulate net-based calling, messaging apps
Counter-intelligence wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police detains 10 people for allegedly using encrypted messaging applications to coordinate, finance, and execute terror activities on instructions from Pakistan-based handlers.
Radical Islamist networks are deliberately targeting Muslim youths embedded within the country's professional and academic ecosystems, leveraging their skills, mobility, and digital reach to quietly strengthen operational capabilities. This trend highlights a dangerous evolution in terror recruitment -- one that exploits ideological faultlines, online echo chambers and transnational radical Islamist influences to attract individuals who outwardly embody India's modern and aspirational narrative, points out Dr Kanchan Lakshman.
Security has been increased across four districts in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly division for Dussehra, with internet services suspended in Bareilly district for 48 hours to prevent the spread of rumors and maintain public order.
The seizure of the self-styled godman's phone revealed a disturbing pattern of predatory behaviour.
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