India's IT Ministry Proposing Uniform Standards for Messaging Apps
India's IT Ministry is developing unified standards for messaging apps, including regulations on username features and blocking capabilities. The move aims to tighten oversight and preempt potential misuse.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is formulating uniform standards for all messaging apps operating in the country. This new policy aims to eliminate the need for the ministry to issue individual notices to platforms to block features, instead establishing legally binding protocols. This could significantly tighten oversight and restrict the rollout of new functionalities.
The ministry intends to discuss the proposed rules with all app providers before making final decisions. Concerns arose particularly around the username features of services like WhatsApp and Telegram. WhatsApp's new feature, which allows users to chat without sharing phone numbers, has raised safety concerns among authorities.
Authorities fear that usernames could facilitate impersonation, fraud, and information gathering. While Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, claims the feature reduces phishing and SIM-swap risks, Indian authorities have already halted its rollout and sought clarification on safety concerns.
Signal and Telegram have also received similar inquiries. Zoho has proactively disabled a similar feature on its Arattai app. It remains unclear how these new regulations will impact the future development and deployment of apps in the Indian market.