The Indian Supreme Court warned WhatsApp users about Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea data leaks. To avoid privacy breaches, the court advised users to delete their data before upgrading or changing their contact numbers…
WhatsApp users, particularly prepaid telecom plan users who want to change their phone numbers, have been warned by the Supreme Court of India. The highest court has ruled that Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea will reissue deactivated numbers to new consumers. Time will pass before the move.
The Supreme Court ruled with WhatsApp users since the network is linked to cell numbers and potentially leak data. The Indian judiciary has stressed the need of WhatsApp users erasing their data before upgrading or changing their contact numbers. Preventing privacy intrusions was the goal.
A plea filed by attorney Rajeshwari seeking TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) instruction to stop deactivating mobile numbers to new subscribers was dismissed by the court.
The bench, chaired by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, adds, “Delete the WhatsApp account with the prior phone number and erase the WhatsApp data on the local device memory/cloud/drive to prevent misuse. The earlier subscriber must protect privacy.”
The court followed Telecommunications Department (DoT) rules from April 2017.
The standards require that a deactivated or disconnected mobile number be transferred to a new subscriber for at least 90 days at the customer’s request.
The court also highlighted that the DoT’s strategy of not reallocating numbers immediately allows former subscribers to maintain their privacy.
The court also noted the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL), a digitally authenticated list of permanently terminated contact numbers.
By preventing undesired users from receiving One-Time Passwords (OTPs), the MNRL helps service providers, non-banking financial institutions, banks, and other regulated entities preserve transparency and efficiency.
WhatsApp users should remove their previous number data, according to the Supreme Court. This will protect their privacy when switching numbers. The decision balances subscriber privacy and efficient number allocation.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court of India has warned WhatsApp users, especially prepaid users, who are considering altering their phone numbers. The court advises erasing WhatsApp data from the previous number before switching to avoid privacy breaches. This decision follows DoT rules and emphasizes the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL)’s role in transparency and user privacy.
