The Indian government has recently issued new guidelines on app-based communication services. These guidelines could have a major impact on WhatsApp's operations. In particular, ordinary users and small businesses could face difficulties.
The guidelines, issued late last month and made public this month, state that messaging accounts must always be linked to an active SIM card.
At the same time, restrictions have been imposed on the use of the web and desktop versions. Users will have to log out every six hours. To log in again, they will have to scan the QR code and add the device.
The government says this decision is to prevent cyber fraud. In 2024, the amount of losses due to cyber fraud in India was about 228 billion rupees. In Bangladeshi currency, it is equivalent to about 30 thousand crore taka.
According to the Ministry of Telecommunications, having an account linked to an active and KYC-based SIM will make it easier to detect fraud. In particular, phishing, fake investment and digital arrest scams can be prevented.
However, digital rights activists and technology analysts have raised objections. According to them, the decision goes beyond the limits of control and will harm legitimate users the most.
WhatsApp is not just an app in India. It is the infrastructure for everyday communication. This platform is also a big trust for small businesses.
WhatsApp has over 500 million users in India. 94 percent of them use the app daily. Daily usage among WhatsApp Business users is also 67 percent.
Many small businesses use a SIM card on one phone and a web version on another device. The new rules could disrupt that system. Order taking, customer support—all of it—are at risk of disruption.
This situation comes at a time when WhatsApp's growth in India is slowing down. New users are declining. The main goal now is to retain existing users.
According to data, WhatsApp's monthly active users in India have increased by 6 percent in the last year, but downloads have decreased by about 50 percent.
Experts say the WhatsApp Business app is now the main driving force. Its usage has increased by more than 130 percent compared to 2021.
Meanwhile, industry body Broadband India Forum has warned that implementing the rules is technically complex and will increase the suffering of ordinary users.
According to policy experts, such a big decision through a directive, not a law, is questionable. There was no consultation with technology experts. It is difficult to challenge this directive in court. The legal standards are very strict. Yet the debate does not stop.
WhatsApp is at a crossroads in the Indian market, and this decision could have a major impact on the app's future usage.
