Looking at increasing cyber threats, the government sent an advisory that shopkeepers can not make it compulsory for customers to provide their phone number to obtain a bill. Many customers complain about the personal details which have to be given to shopkeepers to generate a bill. According to consumer protection law, there is no such provision that customers in India should provide their contact details to retailers.
Many shopkeepers refuse to provide services to customers when they don't give their number, but concern behind not giving numbers is increasing scams through WhatsApp and messages. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said that this practice of asking for phone numbers is not compulsory for customers in India and it is said to be unfair practice as there are chances of stealing and misusing personal data.
The government has ordered the Confederation of Indian Industry and FICCI to take appropriate actions to resolve this matter. While customers do need to understand this, it's not legally obligated for them to give their contact details to retailers.
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