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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a significant statement regarding the temporary restriction imposed on Telegram just before the NEET re-examination. NTA Director General Abhishek Singh stated that the government had previously warned Telegram about the misuse of certain features, but the company failed to implement necessary changes in time. Consequently, the government was compelled to take strict measures.

The government has blocked Telegram's services across the country until June 22. Additionally, instructions have been issued to disable the app's message-editing feature for Indian users until June 30.

Why was this decision taken?
According to Abhishek Singh, the government's primary objective is to curb false claims regarding paper leaks that were being circulated ahead of the NEET re-examination. Such claims were creating fear and confusion among students.

He explained that senior Telegram officials had been summoned to high-level meetings where attention was drawn to two major issues: the need to clearly display timestamps for edited messages and the lack of strict control over group names. However, Telegram did not make any significant changes to its system at that time.

How was the false narrative of a paper leak spread?
According to the NTA, some individuals were exploiting a technical loophole in Telegram's group and channel system. The method involved uploading a generic PDF to a public Telegram channel days before the exam and giving it a sensational title, such as "NEET Question Paper Leaked." After the exam concluded, the same individual would use Telegram's edit feature to replace that file with the actual question paper.

While the post on the channel would display an "Edited" tag, the associated group would retain the original timestamp. This created the impression that the actual question paper had been available before the exam began, thereby causing panic among students and parents.

How did Telegram respond? Telegram founder Pavel Durov recently stated on X that the company is making changes to display edited messages more clearly in order to prevent such fraud. However, Abhishek Singh notes that no such changes are currently visible in the app.
He questioned why Telegram does not modify its metadata system to ensure that the correct timestamp is displayed in linked groups even after a message has been edited.

**Objections to names like 'Paper Leak Mafia'**
The NTA chief also pointed out that groups with names like "Paper Leak NEET Mafia" can easily be created on Telegram. He believes that any platform must comply with the country's regulations and restrict such suspicious names.
According to him, lax controls over naming conventions and features that allow users to hide their identities have allegedly turned Telegram into a hub for paper leaks, investment scams, and other illegal activities.

**Counter-perspectives emerge**
Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, stated that if a platform is being misused to spread fake news, the company should demonstrate responsibility and implement necessary changes.

Meanwhile, Nisarg Adhikari, a cybersecurity researcher at IIT Kanpur, warned that completely banning a platform does not solve the problem. He argues that individuals with malicious intent would simply migrate to other, more secretive platforms, making it even harder to monitor them.

He also noted that for a major platform like Telegram, making immediate changes to core features—such as editing or archiving—is not technically simple.

**IFF questions the government's decision**
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has described a potential ban on Telegram as a "temporary and disproportionate solution." The organization states that while the law allows the government to block specific content, it does not explicitly grant the authority to shut down an entire platform or force a company to alter its product.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.