WhatsApp Usernames faces India scrutiny: Govt halts roll out, gives Meta 3 days to explain

WhatsApp's new privacy feature, known as 'Usernames', is currently under intense scrutiny in India due to rising concerns regarding scams, impersonation, and identity theft. The Indian government has instructed Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, to halt the rollout of this feature and provide a detailed explanation within a three-day window. The Ministry of Information Technology has noted WhatsApp's announcement regarding the username feature, which allows users to create a unique identifier to initiate conversations without revealing their phone numbers. Although this feature has not yet been officially launched in India, users are already being prompted to reserve their preferred usernames. Meta has indicated that it will reserve usernames for public figures, government agencies, and verified Meta accounts to mitigate risks of impersonation. However, the IT ministry has raised alarms about the potential for the feature to facilitate online fraud, phishing schemes, and digital scams, as it may enable malicious actors to connect with victims while concealing their true identities. Concerns have been voiced that scammers could exploit the feature by creating deceptive usernames that closely mimic those of legitimate individuals, financial institutions, or government departments. This could mislead users into believing they are engaging with trustworthy entities when, in fact, they are communicating with fraudsters. The government's intervention follows recent incidents involving Telegram, which was accused of being a platform for distributing leaked NEET-UG question papers. The scrutiny of Telegram's features, including usernames, resulted in a temporary ban of the app in India. Should WhatsApp fail to sufficiently justify the username feature, it could face regulatory measures or be ordered to delay its rollout pending further investigation.