Telegram Was Warned Over Misuse Before Ban, Says NTA Chief
The Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Abhishek Singh, stated that representatives of the messaging app Telegram were summoned for meetings “at the highest levels” and cautioned about the misuse of its features that enable “paper leak frauds” before a blanket ban was ordered. The remarks were made in an interview with The Hindu on Wednesday.
The Electronics and Information Technology Ministry subsequently blocked nationwide access to Telegram until June 22 and directed the platform to disable its message-editing feature for all Indian users until June 30. The primary objective of this intervention, according to Singh, was to prevent the spread of engineered fake leaks that could incite panic among students ahead of the National Entrance Cum Eligibility Test (NEET) re-examination scheduled for June 21.
Singh explained that the government had previously engaged with Telegram over two specific features: the visibility of edited timestamps in groups and the absence of stringent naming filters for groups. “However, Telegram did not alter its system then,” he noted. The NTA was particularly concerned about a modus operandi where bad actors exploit a loophole in Telegram’s synchronization between channels and groups. For instance, a public channel can be created with an associated group; days before an exam, a dummy PDF is uploaded with a provocative name like “NEET Question Paper Leaked.” After the actual exam, the operator uses the edit feature to replace the dummy with the real question paper. While the post in the channel shows an ‘edited’ tag, the linked group retains the original timestamp, creating a misleading impression that the paper was available beforehand.
Following the ban, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced on X that the platform would make the ‘edited’ label more visible to deter backdating scams. However, Singh pointed out that this change is yet to be visible on the app. He questioned why Telegram cannot fix its metadata to ensure timestamp changes are accurately reflected in linked group chats. He also flagged the alarming ease with which groups bearing names like “Paper Leak NEET Mafia” can be created, insisting that the app must “adhere to norms.”
The NTA chief argued that the lack of robust naming filters and the ability to swiftly obscure participant identities have turned Telegram into a hub for various alleged illegal activities, including investment fraud. This concern was underscored by a recent case where the Ahmedabad Police Cyber Cell busted a racket using Telegram to propagate fake NEET paper leak claims.
The move to ban Telegram has ignited a debate among government authorities, technical experts, and legal analysts over the balance between examination integrity and digital liberties. Manindra Agarwal, Director of IIT-Kanpur, supported the action, emphasizing that Telegram should act responsibly when requested to tweak features. Conversely, Nisarga Adhikary, a cybersecurity researcher at IIT-K, cautioned against an absolutist approach. He warned that heavy-handed restrictions “optimise for visibility rather than actual risk reduction” and that determined actors would simply migrate to platforms with stronger anonymity, potentially making monitoring even harder.
The situation remains fluid as the government’s temporary ban nears its end, with Telegram under pressure to implement meaningful changes. The controversy highlights the complex interplay between regulating digital platforms and preserving user freedoms in an era where online tools can be weaponized to undermine public trust in critical national examinations.
