DoT, WhatsApp collaborate for awareness campaign against online scam, spam

The Department of Telecom (DoT) and mobile messaging app WhatsApp have joined hands to run a safety campaign against online scams and spam, according to an official statement on Monday.

As part of the collaboration, DoT and WhatsApp will work together to educate citizens on identifying and reporting suspected fraud communications in an effort to enhance digital safety and awareness.

"Department of Telecommunications collaborates with WhatsApp to extend 'Scam Se Bacho', Meta's safety campaign against online scams and spam," the statement said.

Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan and Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met on Monday and discussed the effectiveness of the ongoing collaboration between DoT and Meta.

"WhatsApp is collaborating with the Digital Intelligence Unit of DoT and using the information provided by DIP for proactive action on misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial frauds," the statement said.

The Digital Intelligence Platform of DoT exchanges bidirectional digital intelligence with 550 stakeholders like banks, law enforcement agencies, about misuse of telecom resources and subsequent action.

Telecom operators under the aegis of industry body COAI have been demanding to bring over-the-top players like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Google Meet under the telecom rules and mandate such communication apps to run awareness campaigns in the same manner as telcos are doing to curb online scam and spam.

However, the government has not taken any action in line with the demand of telecom operators.

DoT has taken various initiatives to prevent misuse of telecom resources in cybercrime and financial frauds. This includes a caller tune that has to be played on the telecom operators network to alert people about the various forms of online scams.

As part of the collaboration, WhatsApp will also work with DoT to explore ways to build citizen-centric services of Sanchar Saathi initiatives.

"As India advances on its path of digital transformation, ensuring the safety and security of our citizens remains a top priority. Our partnership with Meta strengthens this commitment to protect our people from fraudulent communications and cyber threats. By harnessing WhatsApp's vast digital reach, we are strengthening efforts to ensure that our digital ecosystem remains secure and resilient for all," Scindia said.

As part of the partnership, WhatsApp will also develop informative assets to educate users on how to identify and report online scams and spam. These will cover different types of fraud, warning signs, and reporting mechanisms available on the Sanchar Saathi.

All user safety materials will be translated into regional languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarati to maximise accessibility, WhatsApp said in a separate statement.

"The best way to stop people falling victim to scams and online fraud is to make sure they know what to look out for and what they can do to stay safe. By working with the DoT, we can combine our technological expertise with the government's commitment to citizen safety and help give Indians the knowledge they need to stay safe," Kaplan said.

Last year, Meta launched a high-decibel awareness campaign 'Scams se Bacho' in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), reinforcing our joint commitment to combat the rising cases of scams and cyber frauds in the country.