The Indian government has reportedly instructed Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, to halt the rollout of its upcoming username reservation feature. This directive comes amidst significant concerns from the Ministry of Information Technology (IT ministry) regarding the potential for increased online fraud, phishing, and impersonation scams.
Government Cites Fraud and Impersonation Risks
According to reports, the IT ministry has expressed serious reservations about WhatsApp's new 'Usernames' feature. This functionality would allow users to create a unique identifier and initiate conversations without needing to share their phone number. While designed to enhance privacy, the government fears it could be exploited by fraudsters.
The core concern is that scammers could use this feature to contact individuals without disclosing their true identity or phone number. This anonymity could facilitate various illicit activities, including:
- Online Fraud: Tricking users into fraudulent schemes.
- Phishing: Deceiving users into revealing sensitive personal information.
- Digital Arrest Scams: Impersonating law enforcement to extort money.
- Impersonation: Creating usernames that closely resemble legitimate individuals, banks, financial institutions, or government agencies to mislead users.
Meta had indicated that it reserved usernames for public figures, government entities, and verified accounts to prevent impersonation. However, the IT ministry believes the risks remain substantial, particularly for the general public.
Meta Given Three Days to Respond
The government has reportedly given Meta a three-day deadline to provide a comprehensive explanation regarding the feature's security measures and how it plans to mitigate these identified risks. The feature, although announced, is not yet officially live in India, but users have already been prompted to reserve their desired usernames.
Precedent from Telegram Scrutiny
This intervention by the Indian government follows recent scrutiny of another messaging platform, Telegram. Telegram faced criticism for its role in the circulation and alleged sale of leaked NEET-UG question papers. Features like usernames and message editing on Telegram were examined, leading to a temporary ban of the app in India.
Should WhatsApp fail to provide satisfactory evidence and assurances regarding the username feature, it could face regulatory action, potentially including a directive to suspend the rollout indefinitely until further review and approval.