Published Jul 01, 2026 | 10:20 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 01, 2026 | 10:20 PM
Meta said it plans to release the WhatsApp feature later this year.
Synopsis: The notice was issued after WhatsApp offered a provision to register usernames that allow users to connect without revealing their phone numbers. Reports said the Centre was exploring legal options to restrict the feature over security concerns, including the risk of impersonation and identity fraud.
Asking Meta Platforms, Inc. to pause the planned rollout of its new username feature in India, the Union government has asked WhatsApp’s parent firm to explain the feature within three days.
In a notice issued to the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant, the Indian government directed it to hold the feature’s release till “consultations are over”.
The notice was issued after WhatsApp offered a provision to register usernames that allow users to connect by masking their phone numbers.
Reports said the Centre was exploring legal options to restrict the feature over security concerns, including the risk of impersonation and identity fraud.
WhatsApp was planning to launch the feature later this year.
your phone number is personal and sometimes you want to connect without handing it over. that's why we're introducing usernames for WhatsApp.
starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch the feature. It takes just a few seconds, make sure…
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) June 29, 2026
“Your phone number is personal, and sometimes you want to connect without handing it over. That’s why we’re introducing usernames for WhatsApp.
Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch the feature. It takes just a few seconds, make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp and then go to Settings > Account > Username,” WhatsApp said in an X post on Monday, 29 June.
The government issued the notice to Meta since it fears that the feature would allow users to have usernames similar to those of government agencies, institutions, public figures or individuals to impersonate them and engage in fraudulent acts.
Several experts, too, raised similar concerns. Paytm founder and chief executive officer Vijay Shekhar Sharma said similar-looking usernames could become a vector for impersonation and scams.
