The I&B Ministry has directed Telegram to curb piracy on its platform. Separately, MeitY has issued notices to Telegram, Signal, and Meta over the ‘username’ feature, expressing concerns about potential increases in online fraud and impersonation.
Govt Cracks Down on Telegram Piracy
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued a notice to the instant messaging app Telegram over concerns regarding widespread piracy on its platform, sources said on Saturday. The Ministry has directed the platform to implement immediate measures to curb the illegal distribution of pirated films and OTT content. Telegram has been asked to submit a comprehensive Action Taken Report (ATR) within 15 days, detailing the steps taken to address these violations.
According to sources, this move by the government is aimed at safeguarding India’s burgeoning creator economy and protecting the interests of the film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers, and distributors who face significant financial losses due to digital piracy.
Scrutiny Over ‘Username’ Feature
Meanwhile, widening the scrutiny over messaging services, MeitY has sent notices to Telegram, Signal, and Meta regarding the rollout of the ‘username’ feature. Both Telegram and Signal have been asked to explain their ‘username’ feature and its safeguards against impersonation and misuse. Recently, Telegram faced a week-long ban in India ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination in June.
Centre’s Concerns Over WhatsApp Usernames
On Wednesday, the Centre issued a notice to Meta regarding the roll-out of the “usernames” feature on WhatsApp in India, stating that it may increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, and digital arrest scams. According to Meta, a username is an “optional unique identifier you can choose for your WhatsApp account”. It starts with the @ symbol (for example, @Name123) and can be used by others to message or call a person, while keeping their phone number private.
The Centre has expressed concern, saying that the ‘usernames’ feature may enable “impersonation and identity spoofing,” and has asked Meta to furnish a detailed explanation within three days. The notice stated, “It is felt that the feature may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims. Furthermore, this feature may facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions.”
The Centre has asked Meta not to roll out the feature until satisfactory consultation with the government. “Accordingly, you are directed to explain why regulatory action ought not to be initiated under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act), the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) and other laws as may be applicable for launching a feature that may increase cybercrimes. You are directed to furnish a detailed explanation, supported by relevant documents, on this new feature, within three days of its receipt. You are also directed not to roll out this feature until the consultation on this point is achieved to the satisfaction of the Government,” the notice read.
WhatsApp Responds to Concerns
However, the messaging service platform claimed they have built “multiple layers of defence against scams”. WhatsApp spokesperson said they have announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on the platform. “The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year. To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well,” the statement read. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)