Enforce traceability, privacy norms on internet call, messaging apps: COAI

The government should enforce traceability and user privacy rules on WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Meet as well as other calling and messaging apps along with telecom operators as such platforms provide similar services using internet network, industry body COAI said.

Telecom operators want the government and regulator to enforce message traceability and user privacy rule on these apps to curb spam and illegal activities as majority of messaging traffic has moved to data networks from SMS, COAI said.

In a recent direction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated telecom operators to enhance message traceability. The regulator has mandated that the trail of all messages from senders to recipients must be traceable from November 1, 2024.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, said that while the telecom service providers are working jointly with the Trai and the other stakeholders on this aspect, the OTT (over-the-top) communication services, without the requisite security and regulatory checks, is a growing concern in this regard.

"Traceability and user privacy are two benchmarks for this sector that the TSPs are striving to provide to ensure security of the users, and the same should be applicable to OTT communication services as well," S P Kochhar, Director General of COAI, told PTI.

He said that a lot of undesirable activities happen on non-TSP networks but because of lack of application of regulation and security measures, there is hardly any accountability and closure of reported violations.

"On one of the OTT platforms, 26,200 complaints were received for the period of June 1 to June 30, 2024. Out of these only 124 were resolved," Kochhar said.

He said India has 390 million users on a particular OTT app, accounting for approximately 34.12 per cent of worldwide users and extrapolation shows that the revenue generated is approximately $430 million.

"As against this, the consolidated revenue from SMS is just 0.12 per cent of the total revenues of TSPs. This also gives an indication that the data usage is heavily tilted towards OTT communication services. This is also borne out by the common observation that most of the cyber frauds through texting are taking place today through OTT platforms and are increasing steadily," Kochhar said.

Telecom operators have been demanding that the same rules should be made applicable on communications apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Meet etc. as calling and messaging apps provide the same service as they do.

Kochhar said that there is a fine balance that needs to be drawn between national security imperatives and personal privacy.

"Both are important but the supremacy should obviously go to 'national security'. Regulating OTT apps appropriately and under the same note as that of telecommunication services will certainly be a step in that direction," he said.