Media reports indicate that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has now issued notices (“Notices”) to Telegram and Signal seeking explanations regarding their username features and the safeguards adopted to address impersonation, fraud, and misuse. The Notices have been issued subsequent to the Notice that was issued to WhatsApp to halt the username feature on 2nd July 2026. Read together, there seems to be constant push from the Government’s side to attempt and influence the design and deployment of features across platforms.
While the Government’s concerns regarding online fraud, phishing, impersonation, and cyber-enabled financial crime are legitimate, regulatory intervention affecting product design must remain firmly grounded in law. As SFLC.in noted in its earlier statement regarding WhatsApp, the Information Technology Act, 2000 or Information Technology Rules do not establish a prior approval regime under which intermediaries must justify or obtain permission before introducing or continuing to offer lawful software features.
The expansion of these notices to Signal and Telegram are particularly concerning as the username feature is designed to enhance privacy by allowing users to communicate without exposing personal information. Such apps are widely used by journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and others who work in sensitive matters and may face heightened risks if their contact information is publicly disclosed. Any regulatory action affecting such privacy-enhancing technologies must therefore be carefully justified and proportionate.
SFLC.in reiterates that protecting users from fraud and protecting users’ privacy are not competing objectives. Messaging platforms should continue to strengthen safeguards against impersonation, phishing, and online scams through username reservation policies and have effective grievance redressal mechanisms. However, these concerns cannot justify the creation of an unlawful approval mechanism for software features or question technology companies on their products through executive notices in the absence of a legal basis.
SFLC.in therefore calls upon MeitY to withdraw the notices issued to WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, and place them in public domain and state the legal basis under which they have been issued. We also note that public scrutiny is essential where executive action has the potential to affect the privacy and communications of millions of users.
