Advises users to check their SIM card registration status and ensure timely biometric verification if necessary
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday warned that WhatsApp accounts linked to inactive or unregistered SIM cards could become inaccessible if users do not update their information.
In an advisory published on
The authority warned that accounts linked to blocked, canceled, inactive or unregistered SIM cards may soon experience access issues, advising users to check the registration status of their SIM card and ensure timely biometric verification if necessary.
He further added that users should visit the nearest franchise or customer service center to verify the SIM card if necessary, urging them to immediately transfer their WhatsApp accounts to an active and verified SIM card in case their current number is no longer functional.
PTA stressed that users should not wait for unexpected disconnections, adding that a mobile phone number also represents a person’s digital identity.
Last year, Pakistan’s telecoms regulator reiterated that all mobile SIM cards must be registered in the name of the person using them, warning that using SIM cards registered by others violates regulations and could result in prosecution.
He also advised telecom users to ensure responsible use of their SIM cards and clarified that the registered subscriber would be held fully responsible for any misuse.
The PTA has always urged all citizens to be responsible when using social media and digital platforms.
Learn more: SIM cards must be registered in the user’s name, warns PTA
The authority said citizens should not share, disseminate, transmit or upload unverified, inflammatory or misleading information/content that may directly or indirectly harm the national interest, public order or state institutions, a press release said.
All citizens were encouraged to share, disseminate, transmit or upload information/content that is authentic and based on official sources and refrain from spreading rumors and fake news.
