Telecommunication Bill: User verification may be must for messaging apps

Interception clause, platforms believe, may eliminate security benefits of end-to-end encryption

The final version of the telecommunications (telecom) Bill is likely to regulate internet-based calling and messaging services, such as WhatsApp, Signal, Google Meet, and Telegram, requiring authorisation from the government and mandatory verification of users on their platforms, informed sources.

The new draft of the Bill, in its final stages, has introduced a differentiated regulatory regime for different communication services. This is contrary to the expectation that the final Bill may provide significant relaxations for internet calling and messaging applications, also known as over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.

“OTTs will still be part of the Bill. Instead of licensing, there will