WhatsApp has secured a three-day extension to respond to the Centre’s notice over its proposed username feature.
With the Meta-owned messaging platform assuring the government that it will not roll out the feature in India until ongoing consultations are completed. The extension was granted after WhatsApp requested additional time to respond to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The company was originally asked to submit its reply by July 3.
The IT Ministry had last week issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp’s planned username feature, which would allow users to communicate without sharing their mobile numbers. The government expressed concerns that the feature could make it easier for fraudsters to carry out phishing attacks, impersonation and so-called “digital arrest” scams if introduced without adequate safeguards.
The notice directed WhatsApp to keep the feature on hold pending discussions with the government. It also asked Meta to explain why action should not be initiated under the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, citing the company’s due diligence obligations as a significant social media intermediary.
According to government sources, representatives of Meta met MeitY officials on July 3 following the notice. During the meeting, the company assured the ministry that the username feature would not be launched in India until the consultations are concluded.
In a statement issued last week, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the username feature is still under development and is expected to be introduced in phases later this year.
The company clarified that users will continue to require a mobile number to register and use WhatsApp. It also said usernames of government agencies, public figures, celebrities and verified Meta accounts would be reserved, while lookalike usernames would be restricted to reduce the risk of impersonation.
Meanwhile, the IT Ministry has also sent notices to Telegram and Signal, seeking details of the safeguards built into their existing username-based systems to tackle fraud and impersonation.
WhatsApp has an estimated 500 million users in India, making it the country’s largest messaging platform, while Telegram has a comparatively smaller user base.
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