Overview
- The Government of India sent Meta a formal notice asking it not to roll out WhatsApp’s username feature in India and gave the company three days to provide full details, a step reported Wednesday by multiple outlets.
- WhatsApp has opened username reservations but says the messaging-by-username function is not yet live, that usernames will be optional, and that it plans a phased launch possibly by the end of the year.
- Meta published a public Q&A describing planned safeguards, including reserving names for public figures and verified accounts, showing country info and warnings for first contacts, and monitoring blocks and reports.
- Officials and experts warn the change could make impersonation and scams easier because phone numbers would no longer be visible to ordinary users, which could slow initial identification in fraud probes even though WhatsApp retains account records for lawful requests.
- India is WhatsApp’s biggest market with roughly 850 million users, and the government’s move draws on past concerns about username-driven misuse on other apps and sets up formal consultations that will decide whether the feature can launch in India.