After a paper leak put Telegram under the government’s radar, the center’s scanner has now expanded to include other social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.
The latest controversy comes with WhatsApp’s username feature, which the Indian government has identified as a major concern regarding privacy, impersonation and fraud.
From Meta’s social media platforms to Telegram, here’s a look at the social media platforms under the scanner and why.
WhatsApp class
WhatsApp, one of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media platforms, has introduced a username feature, which would allow users to communicate on the messaging platform without sharing their phone numbers.
Although the feature has not yet been launched, WhatsApp has allowed users to “reserve” usernames, leading to a wave of online memes and concerns from the government.
As HT previously reported, the government has asked Meta not to roll out the feature in India until consultations are completed.
A new WhatsApp feature could allow a perpetrator to create a fake profile to impersonate and make fake calls, a Telecom Ministry official told HT. The possibility of foreign scams could also increase with the phone number not being accessible to trace the perpetrator, the official added.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Sunday extended Meta’s deadline to respond to the WhatsApp username issue by another three days. The new deadline is July 9, a government official told HT on Sunday.
After the NEET paper leak, Telegram has come under the hacker scanner
On Saturday, the Ministry of Information, Radio and Television issued a notice to the Telegram app, seeking a response from the messaging platform regarding the circulation of pirated films.
The government has given a 15-day timeline for Telegram, and this deadline follows the ministry’s March 2026 directive.
The March directive called for Telegram to disable access to more than 3,000 channels distributing pirated movies, web series and audiobooks within three hours.
The 120-page long list included movies and web series on OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, SonyLiv, Jio Hotstar, ShemarooMe and others.
Although the notice has not been made public, HT had earlier reported that the government used strong language and called on Telegram to observe “due diligence” under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics) Rules, 2021.
Besides the hacking debacle, Telegram made headlines again during the NEET UG paper leak, as the government moved to ban the social media platform to avoid leaked questions and exam papers being circulated on the platform.
Read also | ‘Child abuse, fraud, Dhurandhar hack’: In justifying Telegram ban, govt points to scrutiny beyond NEET-UG paper leak
Child sexual abuse on Instagram raises concerns
Recent ads on Instagram that promote or facilitate child sexual abuse have raised significant concerns. The Center issued a strict notice to META on Saturday, calling on META to provide an explanation and take strict and immediate action.
“Paid ads on Insta are allegedly being used to direct users to third-party platforms for illegal child abuse material,” a government official told HT.
“The government views ‘algorithmic amplification’ of sexually exploitative content very seriously and requires immediate corrective action,” the official added.
The move by the government comes after a BBC investigation reported 30 ads on Instagram promoting child sexual abuse material.
According to the report, Instagram ran ads containing phrases like “rape video” and “children’s video” that directed users to Telegram channels that allegedly sold child sexual abuse material.
The report added that Meta took action and removed several ads, disabled multiple accounts and blocked the offending URLs after the findings were revealed.
“Meta has a zero-tolerance policy against soliciting or sharing child sexual abuse material, including in advertising. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals hiding among our 3.5 billion users and trying to evade our detection. That’s why our expert teams are constantly improving our defenses, developing new technology to root out scammers, block links to infringing websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action as well.” dead.
Besides the Centre, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken suo motu cognizance of the matter.
This is not the first time concerns have been raised about sexual assault material on social media platforms. Last year, after Grok was released on Elon Musk’s X phone, the government intervened after several users used the AI-based chatbot to alter and edit sexually explicit images of women and children.
