Expansion of India's National-Level Fraud Prevention Hub "DIP" Divides Social Media with Welcome and Caution

In India, "phone numbers" are becoming the key to financial security.
Over 1,000 banks, third-party apps (TPAPs), and payment service operators (PSOs) have joined the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) operated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in India, as reported by NDTV Profit. The backdrop to this is the reality that online fraud is evolving at a pace that goes beyond mere "sophistication," transforming into "industrialized crime" that exploits telecommunications infrastructure (SIMs, numbers, international call bypass devices, etc.). NDTV Profit

What is the rapidly growing "DIP"?

DIP is an "online secure information-sharing platform" built by the DoT, designed to share information related to the misuse of telecommunications resources (such as phone numbers and SIMs) in collaboration with telecom operators, law enforcement agencies, banks and financial institutions, and even some social media platforms. According to a government announcement in 2024, DIP is an integrated platform for real-time sharing and coordination among stakeholders and is not intended for direct access by the general public. Press Information Bureau

Furthermore, a PIB announcement in December 2025 stated that approximately over 1,050 organizations (including security agencies, state police, I4C, GSTN, banks, TSPs, WhatsApp, etc.) are involved in DIP, positioning it as a national "hub." Press Information Bureau

The point is that this is not merely a "data platform for telecommunications administration," but is designed as a bulwark against financial fraud. Even if fraudsters create accounts or wallets, the conduit to contact victims often relies on "phone numbers" or "SIMs." By controlling this, the financial side has a higher chance of stopping transactions "before execution."

Core Mechanism "FRI": Distributing suspicious numbers as "risk indicators"

What is driving the expansion of DIP participation is the DoT's Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI). According to a government announcement, FRI is an indicator that shows the likelihood of a specific mobile number being involved in financial fraud, categorized into risk levels such as Medium/High/Very High. It is calculated through multi-faceted analysis using intelligence from I4C (National Cyber Crime Reporting Platform), DoT's Chakshu (a suspicious communication reporting portal), banks, and financial institutions, and is immediately shared with stakeholders via DIP. Press Information Bureau

The key is this "immediacy." The lifespan of numbers used in fraud is short, and waiting for complete verification or investigation would result in accumulating more victims. Therefore, instead of a "definitive blacklist," it is distributed as a proactive risk signal, allowing each bank and payment operator to implement defensive measures such as "blocking," "additional authentication," or "alerts" based on their judgment. Press Information Bureau

"Prevented losses of ₹660 crore"—The impact of the numbers

According to announcements from NDTV Profit and PIB, within six months of FRI's launch (starting May 22, 2025), the entire banking ecosystem is said to have prevented potential losses of approximately ₹660 crore (about 6.6 billion rupees). NDTV Profit

Additionally, the DoT has continued to hold knowledge-sharing sessions for stakeholders to promote adoption, conducting 16 sessions. NDTV Profit

Of course, the "prevented loss amount" may include estimates, and the visibility of results can change depending on the accuracy of the indicators and operational policies (whether to stop or just warn). Nonetheless, the structure where over 1,000 organizations synchronize their fraud countermeasures using the "same signal" is symbolic given the scale of India's digital finance.

Citizen Participation (Jan Bhagidari) and Sanchar Saathi: Reports as "fuel for data"

Repeatedly emphasized in government explanations is citizen participation, or Jan Bhagidari. Through Sanchar Saathi (a portal/app for citizens) and Chakshu, reports of suspicious calls, SMS, WhatsApp, etc., are collected and can be used as judgment materials for FRI. Press Information Bureau

In short, the aim is to create "crowd-based cyber intelligence" that reduces the number of future victims through reporting, rather than individuals ignoring and saving themselves. Press Information Bureau

Reactions on Social Media: Welcome and Caution Simultaneously

Here's where it gets interesting: the news of DIP/FRI doesn't just end as a "good story of enhanced security." The atmosphere on social media is largely divided into two.

1) Welcome: "Finally moving towards 'stopping before execution,'" "Should become an industry standard"

First, the positive side. The closer people are to the financial and payment scene, the more they tend to have high expectations for the "real-time circulation" of common indicators like FRI. In fact, on LinkedIn, there are posts where major payment company PhonePe mentions its initiative to block transfers to "suspicious recipients" using DoT's DIP, stating that proactive intelligence in both directions makes digital payments safer. linkedin.com

The view is that even if UX is somewhat compromised by "blocking/additional authentication," the benefit of reducing the social cost of damage outweighs it.

2) Caution: "Data sharing is becoming too large," "Is consent and transparency ensured?"

On the other hand, what amplified caution was the controversy over the "mandatory pre-installation on devices" of the Sanchar Saathi app. NDTV Profit reported that the DoT issued an order on November 28, 2025, mandating pre-installation on smartphones, but retracted it on December 3 following criticism. NDTV Profit

This issue was also widely reported in international media, with concerns about privacy violations and surveillance, as well as conflicts with policies of manufacturers (such as Apple), becoming focal points. Reuters

The important point here is that although the "pre-installation controversy" and "DIP/FRI" are separate matters, they are easily connected in public opinion. TechPolicy.Press argues that even with the "apparent retreat" of the pre-installation retraction, long-term concerns remain if legal retraction is not clarified and the delineation of authority remains ambiguous. Tech Policy Press

In the context of social media, the attitude that "fraud prevention is necessary, but if the system becomes too large, oversight and checks are needed" is common.

Next Focus: "Accuracy," "Accountability," "Redress"—The Side Effects of "Stopping Justice"

As DIP/FRI expands, there are unavoidable issues.

• False Positives: The possibility that numbers mistakenly treated as high-risk could be caught in a chain of transfer refusals, account freezes, and additional scrutiny.

• Accountability: Why was it stopped, and based on what information was the decision made (even if full disclosure is difficult, a minimum explanation is needed).

• Redress: The process for appealing, re-evaluation, and restoration in the event of a false positive.

• Data Governance: Who can access it, to what extent, and for how long. Prevention of misuse for purposes other than intended.

DIP is a "cross-domain platform" where telecommunications, finance, investigation, and platforms intersect. Therefore, the more effective the outcomes (damage prevention), the more society will question "what will it be used for next." It is inevitable that the effectiveness of fraud prevention and the caution against a surveillance society will be in a tug-of-war.

Conclusion: India is attempting to standardize "number-based fraud prevention" on a national scale

The fact that over 1,000 banks, TPAPs, and payment operators have joined DIP and started operating FRI in practice indicates that India is shifting from "post-facto compensation" to "pre-execution blocking." NDTV Profit

On the other hand, as the backlash over the pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi demonstrated, the more intervention into "devices, identifiers, and behavior" under the name of fraud prevention increases, the more unavoidable the discussions on privacy and governance become. The Guardian

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The key to the next stage of DIP/FRI is not just the expansion of the number of implementations. More than the number of cases stopped, it is about how false positives are handled and how transparency and redress are designed. This is where the "welcome and caution" on social media converge.