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The Indian government has intervened to pause the rollout of WhatsApp’s newly announced username feature, citing concerns over its potential misuse for fraud and impersonation. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a formal notice to Meta on July 1, 2026, just two days after the feature was unveiled globally, directing the company to halt its India launch until further consultations are completed.
What the Username Feature Offers
The username feature, introduced by WhatsApp on June 29, allows users to reserve a unique handle and eventually communicate with others without disclosing their phone numbers. Positioned by the company as a privacy enhancement, the feature is designed to reduce risks such as SIM-swap attacks and the harvesting of numbers from group chats. India, WhatsApp’s largest market by user base, has taken a markedly different view of its implications.
Government’s Concerns Over Fraud and Impersonation
In its notice, addressed to WhatsApp’s Chief Compliance Officer for India, MeitY expressed apprehension that the feature could materially increase incidents of online fraud, phishing, so-called “digital arrest” scams, and impersonation attacks. Officials specifically flagged the risk of bad actors creating usernames closely resembling those of public authorities, financial institutions, or well known individuals, thereby enabling identity spoofing. The ministry has given Meta three days to submit a detailed explanation of the feature and its accompanying safeguards.
A Gap Between Policy and Practice
Independent testing during the feature’s rollout window reportedly found that usernames resembling prominent public figures, including the Prime Minister and well known film actors, remained available for reservation, despite Meta’s stated policy of proactively protecting high profile handles. This apparent gap between the company’s safeguards and what could actually be registered is understood to be a central factor behind MeitY’s intervention.
WhatsApp’s Defence and Safeguards
WhatsApp has pushed back against the more alarming characterisations of the feature, emphasising that a phone number remains mandatory for account creation and use. The company has pointed to protective measures including restrictions on how many new contacts an account can initiate via username, mechanisms to block repeated attempts at guessing a handle, and systems designed to detect patterns associated with impersonation and abuse.
Part of a Wider Regulatory Pattern
The episode follows a separate, ongoing dispute between the Indian government and Telegram, whose messaging anonymity features prompted a temporary restriction that Telegram is currently contesting before the Delhi High Court. Digital rights organisations, including the Internet Freedom Foundation, have questioned the legal basis for MeitY’s intervention, arguing that existing provisions of the Information Technology Act do not grant the government authority to approve or block specific product features.
What Happens Next
For now, the username feature remains at the reservation stage in India, with its full activation contingent on the outcome of discussions between Meta and the government.
Also Read: WhatsApp Rolls Out Username Reservations Worldwide, Paving the Way for Enhanced User Privacy
