Telegram replies to MeitY notice on username feature; govt reviewing response

Telegram has responded to the Centre's notice over its username feature, with the government reviewing submissions from both Telegram and WhatsApp. MeitY is assessing safeguards against fraud, phishing, impersonation and digital arrest scams before allowing any rollout in India

New Delhi: Messaging platform Telegram has submitted its reply to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) notice on its ‘username’ feature, following a similar response from WhatsApp, according to sources.

The government is currently examining the submissions made by both messaging platforms, according to them.

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The ‘username’ feature allows users to communicate without sharing their mobile phone numbers, a functionality that has drawn the Centre’s attention over concerns that it could facilitate online fraud, phishing, impersonation and so-called digital arrest scams.
Earlier, WhatsApp had submitted its response to the government’s notice over its proposed username feature, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) currently examining the company’s submissions.

The ministry had issued a notice to WhatsApp last week, raising concerns that the proposed feature could potentially lead to a rise in online fraud, phishing, digital-arrest scams and impersonation attacks.

The government also directed the messaging platform not to roll out the username feature in India until consultations on the issue were completed to the government’s satisfaction.

The proposed feature would allow users to communicate on WhatsApp without sharing their mobile phone numbers, providing an additional layer of privacy.

Earlier this week, IT Secretary S. Krishnan had said WhatsApp’s response was expected by Thursday.

He had also confirmed that similar notices were issued to Telegram and Signal over their username features, with the government seeking details on the safeguards adopted by the platforms to address fraud and impersonation risks.

“We will await the formal response to the notice that we have issued, and thereafter we will take a view based on what the response is,” Krishnan had said.

Separately, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently directed ministry officials to seek an explanation from Meta over the alleged presence of child sexual abuse material in advertisements on Instagram.