New Delhi:
The Centre has issued notices to messaging platforms Telegram and Signal over the username feature — much like the one it sent to WhatsApp yesterday for the planned feature that is yet to be rolled out, sources told NDTV Profit. Both platforms have been directed to furnish reports on the username feature and the measures taken to ensure safety.
Telegram already has the username feature. For Signal, the feature is present but 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. There is apprehension that the anonymity will encourage crooks who will then commit crimes with impunity.
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”.
Read: Centre Asks Meta Not To Roll Out WhatsApp IDs Until Consultation: Sources
In a notice yesterday, the government had asked WhatsApp to provide a detailed explanation on the “usernames” feature within three days. Until consultation on the matter is over, the feature cannot be rolled out, the government had said.
Sources had said that the government will take a view on the matter after examining Meta’s response and holding further consultations on the security implications of the proposed feature.
WhatsApp said that it has put in place multiple layers of defence to address the very concerns.
Read: High-Profile Names Withheld: WhatsApp To NDTV On Impersonation Concern
A WhatsApp spokesperson said the high-profile names — public figures, government entities and celebrities — have been withheld so they can be claimed by legitimate owners. The derivatives of known names have been withheld as well.
Besides, there are systems that would reveal common impersonation, abuse patterns and block them. The system will also limit how many new people an account can contact and block attempts to guess someone’s username, the spokesperson said.
