WhatsApp Responds to Centre Over Username Feature, Government Reviews Submission

New Delhi: Meta-owned WhatsApp has submitted its response to the Centre's notice over its proposed username feature, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) now reviewing the company's explanation.

The Centre had issued a notice to WhatsApp last week, raising concerns that the feature could make it easier for cybercriminals to carry out online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and identity impersonation.

The proposed feature would allow users to connect on WhatsApp using unique usernames instead of sharing their mobile phone numbers, offering greater privacy. However, the government asked the company not to introduce the feature in India until consultations were completed and its concerns were adequately addressed.

Following the notice, WhatsApp requested additional time to file its response and assured the government that it would not roll out the feature in India until discussions with the authorities were concluded.

According to sources, MeitY has now received the company's reply and is examining the submissions. However, WhatsApp has not yet issued any official statement on the matter.

Earlier this week, IT Secretary S. Krishnan had said that WhatsApp's response was expected by Thursday. Speaking on the sidelines of the CII GCC Business Summit in New Delhi, he also revealed that similar notices had been sent to Telegram and Signal over their username-based communication features.

Krishnan said the government would review all responses before deciding on the next course of action.

Separately, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently directed ministry officials to summon Meta and seek an explanation over the alleged presence of child sexual abuse material in advertisements on Instagram.

With inputs from IANS