New Delhi. After sending a notice to Meta regarding the username feature of WhatsApp, now the Government of India has also issued a notice to Telegram and Signal. Both these messaging apps have a username system.
A report said that according to sources, the government has asked both these messaging platforms what steps have been taken to prevent cases like fraud through the username feature already present in them and cheating people by impersonating someone else. Sources say that in the notice sent to Telegram, the government has also asked why it should be allowed to continue the username feature on its platform.
On Wednesday, the central government had sent a notice to WhatsApp’s parent company Meta. The government says that the new username feature of WhatsApp can increase cases like online fraud, phishing, digital arrest and cheating people by impersonating someone else. The government had also directed Meta not to launch this feature in India until negotiations with the government on this issue are completed and the government is satisfied.
Now the government has expanded the scope of its investigation and started paying attention to other messaging platforms as well. According to sources, the IT Ministry has also sought answers from Telegram and Signal as to what security arrangements have been made to prevent cases to fraud and fake identity despite the username feature already present on their platforms. In the notice sent to WhatsApp, the government had said that after the implementation of the username feature, cyber criminals can reach people even without mobile numbers. This may lead to increase in cases of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest and impersonation attacks.
Meta has also been asked why action should not be taken against this new feature of WhatsApp under the IT Act and its rules. The government also reminded the company that WhatsApp is an important social media intermediary and it has to follow all the rules set under the IT Act. However, WhatsApp has expressed disagreement with the government’s concerns. The company says that many security measures have already been included in the username feature, so that incidents like fake accounts, fraud and cheating people by impersonating someone else can be prevented.
India is the biggest market of WhatsApp. It has more than 80 crore users in the country, which is much more than Telegram and Signal. Last month, Telegram also came under the scrutiny of the Indian government. Questions were raised regarding fraud, fake identities and sharing of sensitive content on the platform. Meanwhile, the government had temporarily banned Telegram and its web services till June 22, citing leaked and fake NEET exam papers, misleading information and other suspicious activities. However, after this ban was lifted after a week, Telegram started running again.
