The Indian government has asked Meta to immediately pause the rollout of WhatsAppâs upcoming username feature in the country and has sought a detailed reply from the company within three days, reports Moneycontrol. This is the first known instance of the Indian government asking a technology company to put a major consumer feature on hold before its public rollout, citing cybersecurity and fraud concerns.
According to the report, WhatsApp has been told not to introduce the feature in India until discussions with the authorities are completed. Officials are examining both the security design of the feature and the legal framework around it, while also checking whether existing laws are enough to deal with any risks it may create. If serious concerns remain, the government may consider further regulatory and legal action against the social media behemoth.
The new feature is one of the biggest changes planned for WhatsApp in recent years. Instead of sharing a mobile number, users will be able to create a unique username that others can use to contact them. Meta claims that the feature is meant to improve privacy by allowing people to chat with new contacts, businesses or members of large groups without exposing their phone numbers. The company has already started allowing users to reserve usernames globally ahead of a wider rollout.
WhatsApp, which now has more than 3 billion monthly users worldwide, plans to make usernames optional. They are expected to be 3 to 35 characters long, there will be no public searchable directory, and users will need to know the exact username to start a conversation. Meta is also working on a âUsername Keyâ that would add an extra layer of protection for first-time chats.
However, the Indian government believes the feature could create new risks if strong safeguards are not put in place. Officials are concerned that fraudsters may register usernames that closely resemble those of banks, government departments, companies, celebrities or ordinary people and then use them to carry out phishing attacks, fake customer-support scams, investment frauds and digital arrest scams.
Authorities argue that hiding phone numbers during the first interaction could remove one of the easiest ways users currently verify who is contacting them. Although every WhatsApp account will still remain linked to a verified mobile number internally, the government wants to understand how quickly fake accounts can be traced, how impersonation complaints will be handled and whether WhatsAppâs anti-abuse systems are strong enough to stop misuse.
The governmentâs concerns also come at a time when India is witnessing a sharp rise in cyber fraud. In recent years, criminals have increasingly used messaging platforms to impersonate police officers, government officials, bank employees, courier companies and customer-care executives to cheat people. Many scams involve convincing victims to transfer money, share OTPs or reveal sensitive banking details. Therefore, officials see the username feature not just as a privacy update but also as an important cybersecurity issue.
Meanwhile, the Mark Zuckerberg-led firm is expected to respond to the governmentâs notice within the three-day deadline, after which the authorities will decide whether the feature can be launched as planned, needs additional safeguards or will face regulatory restrictions before reaching one of WhatsAppâs largest markets.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutoshâs career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
