Centre tightens the screw on social media apps with WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram under scanner. But why?

AFter a paper leak out brought wire below the government's radiolocation, the Centre' image scanner has now expanded to other social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp.The most recent row comes with WhatsApp's username feature, which the Indian government has flagged as a major concern for 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.The WhatsApp rowWhatsApp, which is one of the social media platforms under Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, introduced a username feature, which would allow users to connect on the messaging platform without sharing their phone numbers.While the feature is yet to go live, WhatsApp allowed users to "reserve" usernames, which led to a flurry of memes online and concerns from the government.As reported by HT earlier, the government has asked Meta not to roll out the feature in India until consultations are complete.An official in the Department of Telecommunications told HT that the new WhatsApp feature could allow a perpetrator to create a fake profile to impersonate and make fake calls. The official added that the probability of foreign scams could also increase with no phone number access to trace the perpetrator.On Sunday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology extended Meta's deadline for its response on the WhatsApp username issue by another three days. A government official told HT on Sunday that the new deadline is now July 9.After NEET paper leak, Telegram under scanner for piracyMinistry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice to Telegram on Saturday, seeking a response on the messaging platform regarding the circulation of pirated films.The government has given a 15-day timeline to Telegram, and this deadline comes after a ministry directive in March 2026.The March directive called on Telegram to disable access to over 3,000 channels distributing pirated movies, web series and audiobooks within three hours.The 120-page long list contained movies and web series on OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, SonyLiv, Jio Hotstar, ShemarooMe, and others.While the notice was not made public, HT reported earlier 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 Code) Rules, 2021.Along with the piracy debacle, Telegram once again made headlines during the NEET UG paper leak, where the government moved to ban the social media platform to avoid the circulation of leaked questions and exam papers on the platform.Also Read | ‘Child abuse, scams, pirated Dhurandhar’: In justifying Telegram ban, govt cites scrutiny beyond NEET-UG paper leakChild sex abuse on Instagram raises concernsRecent advertisements on Instagram which promote or facilitate child sex abuse have raised major concerns. The Centre issued a stern notice to Meta on Saturday, calling on Meta to submit an explanation and take strict, immediate action.“Paid ads on Insta allegedly used to direct users to external platforms for unlawful child abuse material,” a government official told HT.“The government views the ‘algorithmic amplification’ of sexually exploitative content with utmost seriousness, demands immediate corrective measures,” the official added further.This move from the government comes after an investigation by the BBC reported 30 advertisements on Instagram which promoted child sexual abuse material.According to the report, Instagram displayed advertisements containing phrases such as “rape video” and “child video” that directed users to Telegram channels allegedly selling child sexual abuse material.The report added that Meta took action and removed several advertisements, disabled multiple accounts and blocked violating URLs after the findings were revealed."Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defenses, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too," said a statement by Meta.Along with the Centre, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.This is not the first time concerns have been raised over sexual abuse material on social media platforms. Last year, after the launch of Grok on Elon Musk's X, the government stepped in after many users used the artificial intelligence chatbot to alter and edit sexually explicit images of women and children.