India’s government asks Meta to halt the rollout of WhatsApp’s new username feature in India while consultations are completed. Multiple reports say the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sends a notice to Meta on July 1, directing it not to deploy the feature until the government is satisfied with the explanation. The government cites concerns that usernames could materially increase fraud, phishing and “digital arrest” scams, help “bad actors” solicit and message victims, and make impersonation of individuals and government authorities easier. Officials also seek justification for why regulatory action should not be initiated under India’s Information Technology Act and related intermediary rules.

WhatsApp says the feature is optional and not publicly searchable, and that usernames are not yet live for messaging. The company argues the system is designed to protect privacy by reducing the visibility of phone numbers to first-time contacts and to prevent impersonation through reservations for public figures and verified entities, along with additional safeguards such as warnings for unknown contacts and measures intended to block misuse. Reports also note that WhatsApp introduced phased username reservations ahead of broader rollout, and that the feature is being positioned as an added way to contact people without sharing phone numbers.