India issues notice to Telegram and Signal over username feature after Whatsapp row: Report
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Centre has issued notices to Whatsapp, Telegram and Signal
The Centre has issued notices to Telegram and Signal over their username features, citing concerns about online impersonation, fraud and digital arrests. Following a similar notice to WhatsApp, the government has sought details on safety measures
Days after issuing notice to Whatsapp over the usernam feature, the Indian government has issued notices to messaging platforms Telegram and Signal over the same feature, according to reports. Both platforms have been reportedly directed to provide reports on the username feature. The government also asked the platforms to mention the measures taken to ensure safety. While Telegram has the username feature, on Signal, the feature is optional. The government is concerned that with the introduction of usernames -- meant to keep phone numbers private -- there will be a spurt in online impersonation, fraud and digital arrests.
After Centre's action, in a post on X, Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu said, “We will be disabling the user name based account feature in Arattai, to comply with the regulatory change.”
What is Whatsapp's new feature and what Indian government said?
The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. This came after privacy experts and cybersecurity specialists raised concerns that similar-looking usernames could still be exploited for fraud. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability.
Also Read: 'Not yet live': Whatsapp responds after India halts its username feature - WION factchecks claims
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Meta described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect.”
