The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) will soon start consultations with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which is introducing new regulations to control communication apps or over-the-top (OTT) players like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.
Senior DoT officials told the Economic Times that as technology advances, there is a greater need to control OTT apps since misuse of them might have terrible consequences for the nation. According to reports, the official said that social media would be a safer place if there were restrictions in place. The official cited how the rapid dissemination of false information via these applications causes issues with law and order in the nation.
The publication of the report coincides with increased regulatory scrutiny of various internet platforms by the Indian government. In order to control these platforms, the government has taken a variety of measures, such as amending the IT Rules, 2021, and requiring virtual private network (VPN) service providers to gather and store user data.
