UPI payments have become a part of everyday life in India. From small shops to large businesses, everyone uses apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm. Now, to improve user privacy and security, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued new guidelines.

Major changes by September 4th:
According to these new rules, all UPI apps and banks will be required to make the necessary technical changes by September 4th. After this date, your full mobile number will no longer be displayed on the screen when sending or receiving money using UPI. Instead, only the last four digits will be visible. This will help reduce the unnecessary sharing of personal information.

Money transactions:
Furthermore, transactions made using a QR code will not reveal the sender's or recipient's full mobile number. This will further protect your privacy when transacting in stores or with strangers.

Another major change for UPI users
from NPCI is the promotion of UPI usernames. The circular directs apps to provide the option to create a custom UPI ID, such as username@bank, as the default choice. This will be an alternative to the mobile number-based UPI ID. This way, users can perform UPI transactions without sharing their mobile number.

Mobile Number Masking
The primary goal of this move is to ensure the security of personal data in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act. There have been numerous complaints about unwanted calls, fraud attempts, and privacy issues due to the public display of mobile numbers. This change is considered particularly important for the safety and privacy of women. With the new rules in place, UPI transactions are expected to be more secure than ever before.

PC: Rochak Khabre