India is looking to develop a WhatsApp-like app and several homegrown secure communication networks, The Economic Times reported, adding that the aim is to safeguard the country from increasing vulnerabilities from geopolitical developments.

The report, which cites senior officials, said that primarily the measures are considered for government agencies.

The development comes after alarm bells were set ringing across the official circles over the manner in which US tech giants such as Google were preparing to cut ties with Huawei following US sanctions.

“There are strong discussions that for strategic and security reasons, over a period of time, we should have email, messaging… all sorts of systems, at least for government communication, which doesn’t depend on outside players…We need to make our communication insular,” an official was quoted as saying in the report.

The official, the report said, further added that there were ongoing discussions that any official communication must happen over secure and indigenously developed networks.

First Published:Jun 27, 2019 9:11 AM IST