Telegram in talks with India IT ministry over impersonation concerns
Technology
Telegram is in talks with India's IT ministry about its username feature, which lets you chat without giving out your phone number.
The government is worried this could open the door to scams, phishing, or people pretending to be someone else, pretty much the stuff no one wants in their direct messages.
This follows similar questions asked of WhatsApp about its own username setup.
Indian officials question Telegram and WhatsApp
Officials have asked both Telegram and WhatsApp about why these features are even needed and what steps they're taking to keep users safe from fraud and impersonation.
The move highlights how seriously the government is taking cybersecurity on messaging apps right now.