Indian government officials have reportedly started using an Indian alternative to WhatsApp called 'Sandes'. In 2020, the government had announced its plans to develop a WhatsApp-like messaging service. Now, reports have claimed that the app is ready and is in the testing phase. According to a new report, some officials of the ministry are using the GIMS (Government Instant Messaging System) and if everything goes well, then it will be launched soon for common users. New WhatsApp Privacy Policy: Supreme Court Refuses to Entertain Plea Against Instant Messaging App.

Sandes
Sandes (Photo Credits: GIMS)

There are three ways to sign in to Sandes - 'LDAP', 'Sign-in with Sandes OTP' and 'Sandes Web'. When a user clicks on any of the options, a pop-up message appears on the screen asking for an official email ID. It also mentions that the authentication method is applicable to authorised government officials. The previous report suggested that the aim to develop this messaging service is to get government employees off the social media networks that may have compromised channels. The Sandes app also supports voice and chats options just like most social media apps.

The app's backend is handled by the NIC (The National Informatics Centre) which falls under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. With WhatsApp pushing its new privacy policy, it would be interesting to watch where does the Sandes app stand in future.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2021 11:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).