WhatsApp has paused its new username feature in India after the Ministry of Electronics and IT raised security concerns. The feature would have allowed users to connect through unique handles without showing their phone numbers. Officials warned this could increase fraud, impersonation, phishing, and digital-arrest scams.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology raised objections after the platform announced plans to allow users to establish unique alphanumeric handles. Under the proposed update, users could connect with others without disclosing their registered phone numbers.
Government officials cautioned that the removal of phone number visibility could lead to a sharp increase in financial frauds, impersonation tactics, phishing attempts, and the rising menace of digital-arrest scams across the country.
Identity Fraud
Following a high-level meeting with ministry officials last week, the tech major secured an extension to detail its security architecture, delivering its final compliance report on Thursday. The company clarified that the feature is confined to a closed testing environment and will not see a public release in India until all regulatory anxieties are resolved.
"The feature is currently in a controlled development phase. No commercial or public rollout will be executed in the Indian market until comprehensive discussions are completed to the complete satisfaction of the central government," an official close to the development stated.
To counter potential identity theft, the platform has integrated several pre-emptive barriers into the system design. According to the document submitted to the ministry, the company has blocked and reserved usernames associated with government departments, state institutions, public figures, and registered corporations to prevent bad actors from claiming verified identities.
Account Authenticity
The platform emphasized that the introduction of handles does not equate to complete anonymity during the onboarding stage. New users will still be required to provide and verify a valid mobile number to create an account. Additionally, backend automated systems will be deployed to monitor and limit the number of unsolicited chat invitations a single handle can initiate within a specific timeframe.
"The core objective is to offer an additional layer of privacy for users who do not wish to share their personal contact numbers. However, robust verification protocols remain mandatory at the back end. Automated rate-limiting algorithms will ensure that malicious entities cannot exploit the system to broadcast mass phishing links or execute coordinated scams," the company representative added.
The scrutiny from the IT Ministry is part of a broader regulatory evaluation of end-to-end encrypted applications operating within the country. Similar notices have been dispatched to competing communication platforms, including Telegram and Signal. The government has directed these entities to provide detailed reports on the anti-abuse mechanisms built into their existing username architectures.
As digital financial crimes grow more sophisticated, Indian law enforcement agencies have frequently pointed out the difficulties in tracking cybercriminals operating behind anonymous digital profiles. By forcing communication platforms to build stricter gatekeeping tools, the IT Ministry aims to establish clear accountability structures before any major communication updates reach the wider public.
About Company
WhatsApp is a free messaging and calling app owned by Meta. It has more than 500 million users in India, its largest market. The app supports end-to-end encryption and also offers payments and business services.
