Overview
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology told Meta on Wednesday to stop launching WhatsApp usernames in India and to provide a detailed reply within three days or face action under the Information Technology Act.
- WhatsApp says the feature is optional, not yet active for messaging, and will still require a phone number to create an account while offering safeguards such as reserved high‑profile names and an optional four‑digit username key.
- Government officials said usernames could make phishing, impersonation and 'digital arrest' scams easier because bad actors could contact people without exposing a phone number.
- Digital‑rights groups have challenged the legal basis for pre‑release intervention, and MeitY has also issued notices to Telegram and Signal to seek details on how they mitigate fraud linked to usernames.
- The dispute matters because India is WhatsApp’s largest market with over 500 million users, and the outcome could shape how platforms balance privacy features with regulators’ demands for traceability and user safety.