Whatsapp 'Username' Feature: Centre Issues Notice To Meta Over Fraud Concerns

The Union government has issued a formal notice to WhatsApp, seeking a detailed explanation of its newly announced username feature and warning that the tool could significantly raise the risk of impersonation, identity theft and digital fraud on the Meta-owned messaging platform. The notice, sent by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has asked the company to pause the rollout until consultations are completed and to respond within three days.

WhatsApp announced the feature earlier this week as a major privacy upgrade that lets users message each other without exchanging phone numbers. The government's notice flags concerns that the same design could be misused by fraudsters and impersonators operating at scale.

What is the new username feature of WhatsApp

Beginning with the “@” symbol, the feature allows users to reserve a unique username on WhatsApp and share it instead of their phone number to connect with others. Once claimed, this username can be used by contacts to find and message the person, without either side needing to know or share the other's mobile number. WhatsApp had pitched this as a way to protect user privacy, particularly for those who do not wish to hand out their personal number to strangers, new business contacts or online acquaintances.

The government, though, believes the same anonymity could work against ordinary users. According to the ministry's notice, the feature "may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims."

It further noted that the feature "may facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions."

Why the government has stepped in

The ministry's notice has asked WhatsApp to explain why action should not be taken against it under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021, reminding the company of its due diligence obligations as a significant social media intermediary under Indian law. A senior official told reporters that a formal consultation with the platform would be held shortly to discuss the risks the feature may pose to Indian users, many of whom remain vulnerable to phishing calls, fake job offers, digital arrest threats and impersonation-based scams that already circulate widely over messaging apps.

The short window for a response signals that the government wants the issue addressed before the feature becomes widely available to WhatsApp's massive Indian user base.

Responding to the notice, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the company had already built in safeguards to prevent misuse. The spokesperson said the platform had "held the highest-profile names think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well," while clarifying that a phone number would still be mandatory to use the app.

WhatsApp also said other protective measures were built into the feature, including requiring a person's exact username to initiate a first contact, limiting how many new conversations a user can start through usernames, and blocking automated attempts to guess usernames. The company added that it would use detection systems to flag unusual messaging patterns and would show users context about new contacts, such as account age, shared groups or contacts, and location, to help them decide whether to respond.

For now, the notice puts a temporary question mark over how soon Indian users will be able to use the feature, even as the company maintains that its privacy upgrade was designed with protection, not exposure, in mind.