The Centre is considering framing a common regulatory framework for all messaging platforms operating in India, even as it examines responses from Meta over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) advertisements on Instagram and from WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal on concerns surrounding their “username” feature.Sources said the move signals the government’s intent to adopt a uniform approach to regulating messaging services amid growing concerns over online safety, impersonation and digital fraud.The proposed framework would seek to establish common rules for messaging platforms rather than deal with individual services separately, sources said.The Ministry had recently directed Meta to disable advertisements and content promoting child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) on Instagram and sought an explanation from the company. Separately, it issued notices to WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal over the risks posed by username-based identities, citing concerns that they could facilitate impersonation, phishing, online fraud and so-called “digital arrest” scams.Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of an event on Monday, Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan said the MeitY was evaluating the responses before deciding on the next course of action.“On the CSAM content, we had issued a notice to Meta, and the reply has been received. It is currently under examination and, based on the examination of the reply, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.On the username issue, Krishnan said replies had been received from some platforms and the government’s position would be made public after they were examined.Published on July 13, 2026