WhatsApp users in India have been ordered to delete their inactive accounts and all the data so that the number can be passed onto someone else. WhatsApp account runs using your mobile number and in case if you stopped using one number, telcos have been ordered to re-allocate it to a new user who can activate it for WhatsApp.
The order comes from the Supreme Court of India as per a report this week, where it wants the telcos like Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to get these inactive numbers circulated back into the market so that a new person can avail the number and use it for telecom services.
The general rule for an inactive mobile number is 90 days, so if a number has not been used to make a call, send a message or even recharged during this timeframe, the telcos consider the number to be inactive and free to allow other people to use it.
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Inactive Mobile Number: How Does It Affect WhatsApp Users?
You must be wondering how WhatsApp features in all this, and what risks are there if you keep the data in these inactive accounts? Well, as we all know that WhatsApp runs using your mobile number to get verified before using.
Let’s say your mobile number is inactive but you didn’t delete the WhatsApp account and any data that was residing on the cloud. Now, when the new owner of the number tries to sign for WhatsApp, they might inadvertently be able to access the previous user’s data which is not ideal for anyone involved.
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To avoid this situation, the Supreme Court of India advises people to delete the data and their number from WhatsApp so that when the new owner of the number verifies on WhatsApp, they will start afresh instead of picking up pieces left behind by the previous owner of the number.
