New Delhi: India has directed WhatsApp to explain its planned username feature and temporarily halt its rollout in the country, citing concerns that it could increase online fraud and reduce user traceability.
According to a government letter, the authorities have asked the Meta-owned messaging platform to respond within three days and refrain from launching the feature until consultations with the government are complete.
WhatsApp recently announced the phased global rollout of usernames, allowing users to create unique identifiers and communicate without sharing their phone numbers. The company said that the feature would gradually become available later this year, including in India.
Cybercrime and digital fraud remain major concerns in India, where millions rely on digital platforms and online payment services but often lack adequate cybersecurity awareness.
The move marks a tougher stance by the Indian government on anonymous communication tools, following recent action against Telegram and years of regulatory disputes with Elon Musk’s X over content moderation.
Authorities have raised similar concerns about Telegram, arguing that anonymity features make it harder to identify users involved in cybercrime. India is WhatsApp’s largest market, with more than 500 million users, making the dispute particularly significant for the platform.
A WhatsApp spokesperson stated that the username feature has not yet been activated and will be introduced gradually. The company emphasised that users will still need a phone number to create an account and that anyone wishing to contact another user must know their exact username.
WhatsApp added that it has incorporated several safeguards to reduce abuse, including restrictions on how many new contacts an account can message and protections against repeated attempts to guess usernames. The company noted that these measures are intended to prevent scams and misuse.
In its letter, the Indian government argued that hiding phone numbers could make phishing, impersonation and online fraud easier by allowing malicious users to contact victims without revealing their identity.
The concerns mirror findings in a June report by India’s Home Ministry, which warned that Telegram’s number-concealing tools complicated efforts to identify individuals involved in cyber fraud. Telegram recently lost a legal challenge against a temporary government ban imposed over similar issues.
The notice to WhatsApp also referred to India’s Information Technology laws, which require digital platforms to follow government due-diligence rules to retain legal protection from liability for user-generated content.
However, digital rights advocates have criticised the government’s intervention. The Internet Freedom Foundation argued that Indian law does not give authorities the power to approve or block product features before they are launched, describing the move as an attempt to influence what technology companies are allowed to develop and release.
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