New Delhi, India – In a move reflecting escalating government control over the digital space, Indian authorities have issued formal notices to the popular messaging apps Telegram and Signal. The authorities have demanded that the apps provide clarification regarding features that allow users to interact and send messages without revealing their phone numbers.
Security concerns and regulatory measures
An informed government source revealed that India’s Ministry of Information Technology has asked the two platforms to explain the safeguards they have in place to protect users from the risks of identity theft and potential misuse of these features.
The Indian move follows a similar directive issued Wednesday to WhatsApp. The platform was given just three days to freeze its planned username feature. If it fails to comply, it will face strict regulatory measures.
The Indian government justifies these measures by citing concerns about rising cybercrime rates, including digital scams and phishing. These scams also include impersonating law enforcement officials. New Delhi believes that the anonymity features of these platforms provide a fertile ground for fraudsters to operate with impunity.
Ongoing struggle with tech giants
These tensions are not new; the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and global tech platforms has been marked by frequent clashes. The government has had sharp disagreements with X (formerly Twitter) over content removal orders. Furthermore, India tightened its regulations last February, requiring platforms to remove government-reported content within just three hours, instead of the previous 36-hour deadline.
Human rights criticisms
Conversely, these measures have drawn criticism from digital rights organizations. The Internet Freedom Foundation called on the Ministry of Information Technology to immediately withdraw these notices. The foundation argued that targeting an application like Signal—which relies on encryption and is widely used by journalists and activists—constitutes a direct attack on freedom of expression and privacy.
The organization asserted in a statement that these measures represent a “widespread network” of censorship lacking a clear legal basis. So far, there has been no official comment from the Indian Ministry of Information Technology or the companies developing these applications. This puts the future of these features in India in jeopardy and raises further questions about the balance between national security and digital freedoms in the world’s largest democracy.
