The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday put out a consultation paper asking if it would be possible for messaging apps such as WhatsApp to be brought under a licensing framework, and whether such apps can be banned “selectively” in places where an Internet shutdown would otherwise have been imposed.
TRAI had recommended in September 2020 that there was no need to regulate “OTT communication services,” the term for such apps that allow calling and texting over the Internet, often with encryption that makes it difficult for anyone to access the content of a given message or phone conversation.
That recommendation does not hold up, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which is the licensor for telecom operators, told TRAI last September, according to a reference published by the telecom regulator.
