The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) move to introduce a mobile number validation (MNV) platform by amending the telecom cybersecurity rules has received support from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, which wants nationwide implementation in collaboration with banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and fintech platforms to curb the use of mobile numbers in fraudulent or mule accounts.
The committee, which tabled its report in Parliament in August, also recommended continued investment in indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as AI-powered facial recognition for SIM subscriber verification, to prevent identity fraud at the point of issuing SIM cards.
Additionally, officials said the report highlighted a key vulnerability in tackling cybercrimes, there is currently no legal mechanism to ensure that mobile numbers linked to bank accounts actually belong to account holders. To plug this gap, the DoT has proposed an MNV platform that would let banks and fintech firms verify telephone number ownership directly with telecom providers.
The telecom cybersecurity rules need to be amended to establish the MNV platform, but certain stakeholders have raised concerns that the proposed changes are too overarching and could compromise consumer privacy.
Further, the new rules will apply to all “telecommunication identifier user entities,” or entities that use phone numbers to identify customers or their transactions.
