Meta team meets MeitY officials over WhatsApp usernames feature, to submit reply within timeline: Sources
New Delhi, July 3
Representatives of Meta met officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday following the government's notice over the proposed rollout of the "usernames" feature on WhatsApp in India, sources said.
According to sources, ministry officials apprised Meta of the government's concerns regarding the feature during the meeting. As the company has been given three days to furnish a detailed explanation, Meta will submit its final response within the stipulated timeline.
Earlier this week, the Union Government issued a notice to Meta directing it to provide a detailed explanation on the proposed "usernames" feature within three days.
According to sources, the government has also directed Meta not to roll out the feature in India until consultations on the matter are completed.
The move comes after privacy and safety concerns were raised over the feature, particularly regarding the possibility of impersonation and misuse.
According to Meta, a username is an optional and unique identifier that users can choose for their WhatsApp account. Beginning with the "@" symbol, the username can be used by others to message or call a user without revealing the person's phone number.
Meta has said the username is different from a display name, which appears on a user's profile. While display names do not have to be unique, usernames are unique to each account.
The company also stated that people who do not have a user's phone number saved will see the username by default when interacting through direct messages, calls or group chats. Certain usernames will be reserved for businesses, governments and public figures and cannot be claimed by others.
However, internet users and domain experts have raised concerns that the feature could allow cybercriminals to create usernames resembling those of individuals, organisations or government officials, increasing the risk of impersonation and fraud.
According to government sources, authorities are examining the legal implications of the feature and the available legal mechanisms to address concerns if required.
The outcome of the consultations and Meta's response to the government's notice are expected to determine the next course of action regarding the rollout of the feature in India.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, usernames would be a blessing for people like me who get spam calls from unknown numbers. But I agree with the government's caution - we've seen so many scams with Aadhaar and banking, imagine if someone impersonates a government official with a fake username 😱 Better safe than sorry.
Why does every global feature rollout need this much scrutiny in India? The username system has worked fine in other countries. Instead of blocking innovation, the government should focus on improving digital literacy so people don't fall for scams. Just my two cents 🤷♀️
I've been using WhatsApp for business and often have to share my personal number with clients. A username feature would be a game-changer for small entrepreneurs like me. But I appreciate the government's caution - just hope they don't delay it unnecessarily. The three-day timeline seems fair.
Interesting how India handles tech regulation so differently from the West. Here in the US, features roll out and regulators react later. But I see the logic in India's approach - with 500M+ users, even small risks become huge problems. Meta should respect the Indian market's needs.
The government should also look at how these usernames can be misused for phishing - like creating usernames that look like "paytm_official" or "govt_scheme". If Meta can't guarantee verification for high-risk usernames, better to not launch it at all. Also, what about traceability concerns? 🤔
Finally some good news! I hate giving my number to strangers for
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.