WhatsApp gets more time to respond on usernames, pauses India rollout

Meta-owned WhatsApp has been granted additional time to respond to the Centre's notice over its proposed username feature and has assured the government that it will not introduce the feature in India until consultations are completed, according to sources.

The messaging platform has been given three more days to submit its response after seeking an extension, sources told PTI. The original deadline expired on Friday, 3 July.

The username feature would allow users to communicate on WhatsApp without sharing their phone numbers, a move the government fears could make online fraud and impersonation easier.

Last week, the Centre issued a notice to Meta questioning the planned feature, warning that it could materially increase phishing attempts, digital arrest scams, identity theft and other cybercrimes. It directed the company to keep the feature on hold until discussions are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government".

Sources said Meta has assured the IT ministry that the feature will not be rolled out in India while those discussions are underway. A Meta delegation met officials from the Ministry on Friday following the notice.

In its communication, the government also asked Meta to explain why action should not be initiated under the IT Act and associated rules over a feature that could heighten cybercrime risks. It reminded the company that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is required to comply with due diligence obligations under the law.

An email sent to WhatsApp did not receive an immediate response.

Last week, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the username feature was still under development and would be introduced gradually later this year. The company said it had reserved usernames corresponding to public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts to prevent impersonation, while also blocking deceptive lookalike variations.

WhatsApp stressed that users would still need a phone number to create and use an account, and said it had built multiple safeguards into the feature.

According to the company, users would need to know an exact username before initiating contact. It also plans to restrict the number of new people an account can message, limit repeated attempts to guess usernames, and use automated systems to detect and remove impersonation or abusive activity.

The platform said it would also provide additional context when someone receives a first message through a username, indicating whether the sender is a new account, an existing contact, a member of a mutual group or is based in another country.

The government's scrutiny has since widened beyond WhatsApp. The IT ministry has also issued notices to Telegram and Signal seeking details of how their existing username systems address fraud and impersonation risks. While WhatsApp has about 50 crore users in India, Telegram's user base is significantly smaller.

Meta and Telegram have also come under regulatory scrutiny on separate issues in recent days. The government issued a notice to Meta over the presence of child sexual abuse material in Instagram advertisements, while Telegram was directed to curb the widespread circulation of pirated films, OTT content and other copyrighted audio-visual material on its platform.

With PTI inputs