India asks Meta to delay WhatsApp username feature over fraud concerns
India has asked Meta to postpone the rollout of WhatsApp’s new username feature, citing concerns that it could increase online fraud, phishing, and identity impersonation in the country.
The request comes as Indian authorities continue to tackle a sharp rise in cybercrime, with scammers increasingly exploiting limited digital literacy among internet users.
Earlier this week, Meta announced that WhatsApp users worldwide would soon be able to connect using unique usernames instead of sharing their phone numbers, a feature designed to enhance user privacy, AFP reports.
However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has urged the company to delay introducing the feature in India, the platform’s largest market with more than 500 million users, until further consultations are completed.
According to local media reports, the ministry warned that fraudsters could misuse usernames to impersonate individuals or organizations, making it more difficult for less tech-savvy users to distinguish legitimate accounts from fake ones.
“There is a possibility that bad actors may claim usernames and message users while pretending to be someone else,” a senior government official was quoted as saying.
In response, Meta said the feature has not yet been launched in India and emphasized that it has built multiple safeguards to prevent impersonation. The company said usernames for public figures and verified accounts have already been reserved to ensure they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners.
Meta also noted that users will still need a phone number to register for WhatsApp and that additional anti-scam protections have been incorporated into the new feature.
The concerns come amid a surge in cyber fraud across India. Official data show that Indians lost nearly US$3 billion to online scams in 2025, almost 40 times the amount reported in 2021, underscoring the growing challenge of protecting users in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.
