DoT might press telcos to share KYC details with OTT platforms

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), according to sources, is planning to create an obligation on telcos to share know-your-customer details of their users with over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms like WhatsApp and Signal.

“Such a provision will help OTTs display the verified name of a caller. The government is of the view that this will help in reducing impersonation and frauds,” said a source.

“The revised bill is likely to create an obligation on both telcos and OTTs to have the verified name as part of caller line identification,” he added.

The government has included provisions in the draft version of the telecom bill that came out in September, to protect users from ‘specified messages’. The bill has defined this as ‘any message offering, advertising or promoting goods, services, interest in property, business opportunity, employment opportunity or investment opportunity.’

Such measures may include measures relating to the prior consent of users for receiving certain types of messages, and the preparation and maintenance of ‘Do Not Disturb’ registers so that users do not receive such messages without prior consent.

According to sources, the government has been receptive to OTTs’ concerns over being clubbed with telecom service providers for all kinds of regulations in the bill.

“What may happen is that OTTs might be kept out of certain provisions in the next iteration of the bill. However, the provision for caller name presentation might turn out to be a more stringent obligation, if anything,” said another source.

Meanwhile, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has come out with a consultation paper on the logistics of mandating calling name presentation (CNAP) for telecom service providers.