Government Seeks Meta’s Explanation on WhatsApp Usernames
WhatsApp plans to launch usernames this year, letting users chat securely without sharing their personal phone numbers with others.
- Government issued notice to Meta; three-day deadline for explanation.
- Directive: do not roll out usernames in India until consultations finish.
- Concern: usernames may enable impersonation, fraud, scams.
- WhatsApp says feature boosts privacy by avoiding phone-number sharing.
- Experts and founders warn of lookalike usernames and weak verification.
- Authorities may review legal basis, moderation, verification, law‑enforcement access.
New Delhi — India’s government on Wednesday moved quickly to halt the full rollout of WhatsApp’s new username feature, issuing a formal notice to Meta and ordering the company not to deploy the option in the country until consultations are completed. Officials also demanded a detailed explanation of how the feature works and the safeguards in place, giving Meta three days to respond, sources said.
The move affects a platform used by more than 500 million people in India and comes amid growing unease from regulators, cybersecurity experts and startup founders about the potential for impersonation and fraud. WhatsApp plans to let users create and reserve usernames later this year so they can message others without sharing phone numbers — a change the company says will boost privacy, especially in group chats and when interacting with new contacts.
But authorities worry that usernames could be mimicked to deceive users, reproduce the identities of businesses or government agencies, or mislead citizens by imitating public figures. The government’s notice asks Meta to explain the feature’s design, its rollout plans and the technical and policy safeguards intended to prevent abuse. Law enforcement agencies may also examine whether the move presents risks to public safety or national security, officials said.
If Meta’s response fails to allay those concerns, the government could take steps to prevent the feature’s deployment in India.
Cybersecurity specialists and entrepreneurs have been vocal. They warn that, unless strong verification and anti-abuse systems are built in, lookalike usernames could become a convenient vector for phishing, financial scams and the spread of false information.
Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma flagged the risk on X, saying that similar-sounding usernames could be exploited for impersonation and fraud. Jasveer Singh, co-founder and CEO of KnotDating, questioned how WhatsApp would balance enhanced user privacy with accountability and trust on the platform.
WhatsApp maintains the username feature is intended to strengthen privacy by allowing users to communicate without exposing phone numbers. The company has already enabled reservations of usernames in some places, but has not yet activated full messaging via username for all users. An email seeking comment from WhatsApp did not receive an immediate reply.
Authorities will likely scrutinize the legal framework that governs such features: whether existing laws give the government grounds to restrict or condition a rollout, and what obligations platforms have to prevent misuse. That review could examine content moderation commitments, verification procedures, notice-and-takedown mechanisms and the ability of law enforcement to trace bad actors when required under due process.
For Meta, the India market presents both enormous opportunity and heightened regulatory sensitivity. New features that change how identity and contact information are managed are likely to draw intense scrutiny in a country that already presses global tech firms on issues of national security, privacy and consumer protection. on the launch calendar or is paused for India.