The Indian government ordered Meta’s WhatsApp to halt the rollout of its new username feature. Officials cite serious concerns that the tool could trigger a surge in impersonation, financial fraud, and cybercrimes. The feature intends to let users communicate without sharing private phone numbers.
The government issued a formal notice demanding a detailed explanation from Meta within three days. This directive prevents the feature from launching until official consultations are complete. Experts warn that bad actors could claim usernames of public figures or institutions to scam the public.
India remains a critical market for WhatsApp with a user base exceeding 500 million people. WhatsApp stated the unreleased feature includes safeguards such as reserving high-profile names for legitimate owners. The company will also limit how many new accounts a user can contact and deploy systems to remove abuse.