SIM Binding:
The Union Government has directed messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and others to mandatorily link their services to the SIM card used during registration.SIM binding is a security mechanism that permanently links a user’s messaging or authentication service to the physical SIM card used during registration. The app stops working if the original SIM is not present in the device, acting as a hardware token for identity verification. Ministry: Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity, Amendment Rules, 2025. Introduced the concept of Telecommunication Identifier User Entity (TIUE) to regulate digital communications more securely.SIM binding is a security process that links a user’s digital identity to the unique identifiers stored inside a physical SIM card. Every SIM contains hardware-level data such as:
- IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity)
- ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card Identifier)
- Ki (authentication key stored in SIM hardware)
When an app implements SIM binding, it continuously checks these SIM identifiers inside the device.
If the app does not detect the same IMSI/ICCID/Ki that were present during registration, it concludes the identity mismatch and automatically blocks access.
