Caller ID Spoofing: DoT Tells Social Media, Hosting Platforms To Remove Content, Apps

The Department of Telecommunications has directed social media and hosting platforms to remove content that promotes or applications that allow tampering of a telecom identifier.

The move comes after a social media post by an influencer schooling people how to change their calling line identification number while making calls so that the person on the other end sees some other number. Technically, this is tampering of telecommunication identification and called CLI spoofing, the department said in an advisory on Tuesday.

Changing CLI is an offence under the Telecommunications Act that specifically bars tampering of telecommunication identification. The act prohibits a person from obtaining subscriber-identity modules or other telecommunication identification through fraud, cheating or impersonation, the DoT said.

Any application that allows to tamper telecom identifiers like CLI, IP address and International Mobile Equipment Identity is abetting users in committing an offence by contravening provisions of Telecommunication Act, it said.

The DoT directed the social media and application hosting platforms to remove such content or applications. It added that action might also be initiated under Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act against those involved in making or promoting such content or applications.

The regulatory body has also asked social media platforms and application hosting platforms to confirm that they have complied with the order by Feb. 28.