3 min readNew DelhiJul 4, 2026 09:16 AM IST
First published on: Jul 3, 2026 at 02:50 PM IST
A day after the Indian government sought explanation from WhatsApp over its new feature Usernames, the authorities have reportedly issued notices to messaging platforms Telegram and Signal. The companies have been asked to explain their safeguards around features that allow users to send messages while concealing their phone numbers.
The fresh notices signal a further escalation of India’s regulatory oversight on online platforms. In June, the government had temporarily blocked Telegram, indicating greater scrutiny from blocking apps to vetting product features across multiple services.
According to a report by Reuters, the authorities on Thursday, July 2, asked Signal and Telegram to elaborate on how they protect users from impersonation and misuse owing to features that allow people to interact anonymously.
The development comes a day after the Ministry of Electronics and Information (MeitY) asked WhatsApp to pause the rollout of its new username feature asking it to justify the rationale behind it within three days or face regulatory action. The government’s primary concerns are that features that endow users with anonymity could lead to instances of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and could accelerate impersonation attacks.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp began rolling out username reservations for its new feature that allows people to find each other by username instead of phone number. Following the announcement, MeitY in a letter asked the Meta-owned company to explain within three days why regulatory action should be initiated. The government body also warned that usernames resembling noted personalities, financial institutions, or government agencies could lead to identity spoofing.
WhatsApp’s new feature is slated for a phased roll out globally, and the platform maintains that privacy is at its core with all the safeguards in place. The company had said that unlike similar features on other platforms, usernames will not be publicly searchable and that one would need the exact username to initiate conversation. The company said that the user retains the agency to change or disable the username later. And as an added layer of privacy the platform is also introducing an optional ‘username key’ which when activated, both the username and the key must be entered before someone can send the first message.
The government has been tightening its noose around anonymity features on messaging platforms. Weeks ago, it had raised similar concerns about Telegram’s username-based feature and said that obscuring phone numbers would complicate it for law enforcement to detect users involved in cybercrimes.
Government scrutiny of anonymous messaging features expands as India issues notices to Telegram and Signal after questioning WhatsApp over its new username feature. (Express Image) 
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