India sends stern warning to WhatsApp over username feature

The Indian government has directed WhatsApp to explain its planned username feature and suspend its rollout in the country, citing concerns that it could increase online fraud and make it more difficult to identify cybercriminals.

According to a government letter reviewed by Reuters, authorities gave WhatsApp three days to respond and instructed the Meta-owned messaging platform not to launch the feature in India until consultations with the government are concluded.

The move marks the latest effort by India to tighten oversight of major technology platforms. It follows recent action against Telegram and years of regulatory disputes with X over content moderation and compliance with government directives.

ALSO READ: UK moves to stop foreign money influencing British elections

WhatsApp recently announced a phased global rollout of usernames, a feature that will allow users to reserve unique usernames and eventually communicate with others without sharing their phone numbers. India, which has more than 500 million WhatsApp users, is the platform’s largest market.

However, Indian authorities argue that the feature could make it easier for fraudsters to carry out phishing scams, impersonation, and other forms of cybercrime by allowing users to contact others without revealing their phone numbers.

The government cited India’s Information Technology laws, warning that platforms could lose legal protections from liability for user-generated content if they fail to comply with due diligence requirements.

Responding to the concerns, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the username feature has not yet gone live and will be introduced gradually later this year.

The company stressed that users will still be required to register with a valid phone number, while anyone wishing to message another user must know their exact username.

WhatsApp also said it has incorporated multiple safeguards to reduce abuse, including limits on the number of new users an account can contact and protections against repeated attempts to guess usernames.

The scrutiny comes shortly after Meta appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as WhatsApp’s global head, highlighting India’s growing importance to the company’s future strategy in payments and business messaging.

Digital rights advocates have questioned the government’s directive, arguing that existing laws do not grant authorities the power to approve or block product features before they are launched.

The Internet Freedom Foundation described the move as lacking a clear legal basis, saying it amounted to an attempt by the government to determine what products technology companies are allowed to develop and release.