ETtech Explainer: Why Telegram and Signal are under the government's scanner over usernames

The government has broadened its scrutiny of username-based messaging features, issuing notices to Telegram and Signal just a day after asking WhatsApp to pause the rollout of its upcoming username feature.

PTI reported on Thursday that the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) asked the platforms to explain what safeguards they have in place to prevent fraud, impersonation and other misuse that could be enabled by usernames, which allow users to communicate without having to share their phone numbers.

How it began


The intervention began after WhatsApp announced plans to rollout username-based communication. The feature aims to improve privacy, replacing phone numbers with a unique username during conversations with people who are not already in a user’s contacts.

Soon after the announcement, the government directed Meta to pause the rollout in India, giving the company three days to explain why the feature should be allowed, ET reported. The letter further suspended the rollout until consultations were completed, warning that anonymity could facilitate fraud and impersonation.

Why the government is concerned

Sources told us that the ministry is concerned that the new username-based communication could become an easy breeding ground for scammers to impersonate individuals or organisations as the app allows them to conceal their identities.

Why Telegram and Signal are now under scrutiny

Following the action taken against WhatsApp’s username-based communication feature, the government has asked the two companies, which also enable this kind of anonymity, to explain how they would address the risks highlighted in WhatsApp’s case.

How have the platforms responded?

A WhatsApp spokesperson told Reuters that the username feature was not yet live and would roll out gradually later this year. The spokesperson said the new feature still required users to register with a valid phone number, and added that a conversation could only be initiated if the sender knew the recipient's exact username

The person added that multiple layers of defence have been built into the feature against scams, including limits to how many new people an account can contact and blocks on repeated attempts to guess a user’s name.