Centre sends notice to Telegram and Signal over username feature

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Following WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal has received notices from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) over their username feature. Earlier, WhatsApp was served the notice on July 1, 2026 over the same username feature, which is currently available for reservation, but , has not been rolled out yet.

The username feature appeared to remain available on both platforms well into Thursday evening.

The Union government’s move against the three messaging platforms comes on the heels of a week-long ban of Telegram, after authorities argued that backdated PDF files could lead to people mistakenly assuming a question paper was leaked. Telegram fought against the ban in the Delhi High Court, calling the move a “mistake”. The court sided with the government, holding the short ban a proportionate response. Telegram was unblocked after the NEET exam was held, following the leak of the first attempt.

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The Internet Freedom Foundation, a Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, called the pressure on the messaging platforms an “unconstitutional dragnet over privacy features” (accounts with a username on all platforms are designed to conceal phone numbers). “The executive is restraining lawful features, and with them the private communication those features protect, without the authority of law,” IFF said in a statement.

“We agree there can be regulatory authority for such features however it requires a clear articulation of policy intent that is rooted in legislation. This simply does not exist at present. No provision of the IT Act permits it as we have explained in our statement yesterday,” the body added, arguing the notices were unconstitutional.

The notice to Signal in particular was worrying, IFF said. “Signal … keeps almost [no data on user accounts and activity], has refused to build the searchable directory an identification order would need, and is the tool journalists, activists and many at risk people and their contacts rely on, so a notice aimed at it strikes straight at protected speech,” IFF said.

Also Read: Central Govt Issues Notice to Meta over WhatsApp ‘Username’ Feature, Halts Rollout

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