The Union government has asked WhatsApp to pause the rollout of its new username feature, which would allow users to connect with contacts without sharing their phone numbers, the Hindustan Times reported on Thursday.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a notice to the messaging platform, citing concerns that the feature could increase impersonation, identity theft, phishing and online fraud.
The notice came after WhatsApp announced on Monday that users can reserve a unique username ahead of the feature’s launch “later this year”.
In response to the government’s concerns, WhatsApp said that, to protect against misuse, usernames associated with public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified accounts on its parent company Meta’s platforms had been reserved so they could only be claimed by their legitimate owners, The Indian Express reported.
In its notice, the ministry directed WhatsApp not to roll out the feature “until the consultation on this point is achieved to the satisfaction of the government” and asked the company to explain its plans within three days, the Hindustan Times reported.
It said that the feature could enable bad actors to solicit and message potential victims, increasing the risk of digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks.
The ministry added that usernames resembling those of public authorities, financial institutions and government agencies could “facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing”.
However, a WhatsApp spokesperson said that the users would still need a phone number to create and use an account, The Indian Express reported. The spokesperson added that persons would need to know a user’s exact username to contact them for the first time, with an optional username key providing an additional layer of control.
Meanwhile, digital rights organisation The Internet Freedom Foundation criticised the government’s notice on Wednesday, arguing that it “has no clear basis in law”.
The organisation said that neither the Information Technology Act nor the Information Technology Rules give the Centre the power to approve or block product features before they are launched.
“It is an attempt by the executive to decide what a company may build and ship, which no statute permits,” the organisation added.
Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.
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