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After WhatsApp responding to the government in the username controversy, popular messaging app Telegram has also issued a response to the Ministry of Electronics And Information Technology (MeitY), according to sources cited by Press Trust of India (PTI). The central government has demanded an explanation from both WhatsApp and Telegram regarding the usernames feature as in why it is necessary to provide because. The government also stated that this feature can trigger impersonation, phishing, frauds, and other kind of cybercrimes by letting users to communicate without revealing their contact number.Submissions of both the platforms, WhatsApp and Telegram, are under examination currently by the government. The username feature essentially allows
people on the messaging platforms to communicate without sharing their phone numbers.As for WhatsApp's reply on the matter, the government received Meta owned instant messaging platform's reply to the notice on the 'username' feature on Thursday evening. The reply of Telegram has also been received subsequently, they added.The content of the responses could not be immediately ascertained, and both the firms have not even shared any official statement regarding the matter as well.The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to WhatsApp last Wednesday, questioning the platform's proposed username feature, as the government flagged concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.The Centre had also directed WhatsApp not to launch the feature until consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the government". WhatsApp had subsequently assured the government that it would not roll it out in India until discussions are complete.After sending a notice to WhatsApp, the IT Ministry had also send notices to Telegram and Signal too, raising questions on their existing 'username' feature and asking how the platforms are addressing concerns related to fraud and impersonation risks. While WhatsApp has 50 crore users in India, Telegram's reach is a fraction of that.Notably, over the last few days, Meta and Telegram have also faced regulatory scrutiny on multiple other fronts.While the government issued a stern notice to Meta on child sexual abuse material in Instagram ads on Saturday, Telegram was served a notice directing it to crack down on the "widespread dissemination" of pirated films, OTT content and other audio-visual material through its platform.(With Inputs From PTI)
