New Delhi:After WhatsApp, messaging platform Telegram has also submitted its reply to the IT Ministry’s notice on the ‘username’ feature, according to sources.

Submissions of both WhatsApp and Telegram are currently being examined by the government, sources said. The username feature essentially allows people on the messaging platforms to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. On Thursday evening, the government received WhatsApp’s reply to the notice on the ‘username’ feature. The reply of Telegram has also been received subsequently, they added. The content of the responses could not be immediately ascertained, and there was no official comment from either company. The IT Ministry issued a notice to WhatsApp last Wednesday, questioning the Meta-owned platform’s proposed username feature, as the government flagged concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.