Government Officials Testing ‘Sandes’, The Indian Alternative To WhatsApp: Report

Government officials from several ministries have begun testing Sandes, which is touted to be an Indian alternative to messaging platform WhatsApp, Business Standard reports. The publication had earlier reported that the office-bearers had already been using the Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS).

Apparently, GIMS has given birth to Sandes which is designed to shift government employees away from social media networks that pose possible security threats. The opening page of GIMS displays methods to access the application, which includes sign-in LADP, Sandes web and sign-in with Sandes OTP.

However, Sandes can be utilized only by government officials for the time being. Yet, it is expected to be made available to the larger user base going ahead. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is operating the backend of the application. It supports voice and data messages and can be operates on both Android and iOS platforms.

WhatsApp’s recent privacy update that compelled users to allow for personal data transfer to other Facebook Inc owned companies like Instagram and Facebook had inspired people to explore other messaging applications that safeguards private data.

Sandes will thus look to act upon that opportunity in the future once its efficiency is tested thoroughly by the concerned authorities.