The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on February 18 issued an advisory to social media platforms and application hosting services demanding the immediate removal of content and applications that facilitate or promote Calling Line Identification (CLI) or Caller ID spoofing.

This move comes in response to growing concerns about the misuse of technology to mask phone numbers, enabling potentially fraudulent or harmful activities.

The advisory states,

"It has been brought to the notice of Department of Telecommunications that an influencer has used a social media platform to tell people how to change their Calling Line Identification (CLI) number while making calls so that the called party sees some other number. Technically this is tampering of telecommunication identification and called CLI spoofing."

The advisory emphasises the legal ramifications of such actions, citing Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

"Your kind attention is invited to Section 42 (3) (c) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 which specifically bars tampering of telecommunication identification," the document states. It further notes that Section 42 (3) (e) prohibits "obtaining subscriber identity modules or other telecommunication identification through fraud, cheating or impersonation."

The DoT underscored the severity of these offences, highlighting that they are cognizable and non-bailable.

The advisory makes it clear that platforms hosting such content are also in violation of the law.

"Any application that allows to tamper telecom identifier (like CLI, IP address, IMEI etc.) is abetting users in committing an offence by contravening provisions of Telecommunication Act, 2023 and therefore Social media platforms and Application hosting platforms are required to remove such content / applications that allows or promotes tamper of telecom identifier (like CLI, IP address, IMEI etc.) in contravention to the provisions of the Telecommunication Act, 2023."

The DoT warned that platforms hosting such content are also violating the Telecommunications Act and may face legal action under Section 42, if the content is not removed.

Platforms have been directed to comply with the advisory and submit compliance reports to dirdiu-dot@gov.in by February 28, 2025.

[Read advisory]