Govt calls action against rising WhatsApp scams, urges Meta to address growing security threats

tech.hindustantimes.com:

The rise of scams on messaging platforms like WhatsApp has prompted a significant response from India's Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY). Following a request from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the ministry has urged Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp, to take decisive action. The government is actively engaging with Meta to address the ongoing issue, with MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan acknowledging that scammers are continuously finding new ways to exploit users.

In an interview with the Economic Times, Krishnan stressed that the government maintains regular communication with stakeholders, including WhatsApp. He urged users to remain vigilant and report suspicious content. According to Krishnan, users can file complaints directly through the app or with a grievance officer outside the platform. If unresolved, issues can be escalated to a grievance appellate committee, as mandated by the IT rules.

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Trai has been particularly concerned with scam calls and messages originating from WhatsApp. In a statement to the Economic Times, Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti confirmed that MeitY is already looking into WhatsApp calls, with Trai urging further action to curb the issue. The telecom regulator's concern stems from the growing abuse of over-the-top (OTT) apps, like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, which currently fall outside the direct purview of Trai and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

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While WhatsApp has shown some cooperation, including blocking numbers as requested by the government, platforms like Signal and Telegram remain largely unregulated. This lack of oversight makes it difficult to prevent scams, particularly on apps with large user bases like WhatsApp. The telecom operators - Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone-Idea- have expressed