Three platforms — WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal — have attracted regulatory scrutiny after the government issued notices concerning the contentious username feature, which enables users to communicate on these platforms without disclosing their phone numbers.
“Regarding the usernames issue, we have received responses from several platforms. We are currently evaluating those responses and will share our stance,” Krishnan informed reporters.
Platforms were allotted 7-10 days to reply, Krishnan noted, adding, “We too require some time to assess those responses.”
On July 1, the government sent a notice to WhatsApp, questioning the Meta-owned messaging platform about the proposed username feature.
The Centre expressed concerns that it could significantly escalate online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks, directing WhatsApp to refrain from launching the feature until discussions on the matter are satisfactorily concluded with the government.
Following the notice to WhatsApp, the IT ministry promptly issued notices to Telegram and Signal as well, inquiring about their current ‘username’ feature and how they are addressing issues related to fraud and impersonation risks.
While WhatsApp boasts 50 crore users in India, Telegram’s user base is considerably smaller.
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