The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp’s proposed usernames feature in India, asking the company to submit a detailed explanation within three days, government sources told HT.
The Center has also directed Meta to refrain from rolling out the feature in India until consultations with the government are completed.
The move follows concerns raised by authorities over the feature’s potential misuse, including the risks of impersonation, online fraud and challenges it could pose to law enforcement investigations.
WhatsApp issues clarification
A WhatsApp spokesperson responded after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology raised concerns regarding the planned rollout of the usernames feature.
“We’ve announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp. The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out gradually later this year.
To prevent impersonation, we’ve reserved high-profile names, including those of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts, so they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners. We have also blocked lookalike variations of well-known names.
Users will still need a phone number to access WhatsApp, and we’ve built several safeguards into the usernames feature to prevent scams. Other users will need to know your exact username before they can message you. We will also limit the number of new people an account can contact, restrict repeated attempts to guess usernames, and use systems designed to detect and remove impersonation and other abusive behavior.
When the feature becomes available, if someone contacts you through your username for the first time, WhatsApp will indicate whether the sender is using a new account, whether they are already in your contacts, whether you share any groups, and whether they are located in another country, allowing users to decide whether to respond.”
Concerns over fraud and impersonation
Officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Delhi Police have expressed concerns that the usernames feature could make it easier for users to conceal their identities, complicating efforts by law enforcement agencies to identify and trace suspects. Authorities have also raised concerns about WhatsApp’s response time when handling official requests for user data during investigations.
A senior Department of Telecommunications official said the feature could potentially be misused by fraudsters impersonating government officials to carry out scams.
“The bigger concern is that it may become significantly more difficult for law enforcement agencies to establish whether a suspect is operating from within India or abroad. Someone could create a WhatsApp account using a +1 US number, use the National Investigation Agency chief’s photograph, adopt a similar username and begin making fraudulent calls. Earlier, if the number started with +91, there was at least a clear starting point for action. If phone numbers are no longer visible, tracing such accounts becomes considerably more difficult,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
