WhatsApp submits reply to govt notice on ‘username’ feature

WhatsApp has submitted its reply to the government's notice on the "username" feature, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is examining the response, sources told news agency PTI on Thursday. The Centre had raised concerns that the proposed feature could materially increase cases of online fraud, phishing, digital-arrest scams and impersonation attacks.

The government had asked Meta-owned WhatsApp not to roll out the feature in India until consultations on the issue were completed "to the satisfaction of the government". An official said the ministry received the response on Thursday without sharing details. The deadline ended on Thursday after MeitY granted WhatsApp a four-day extension when the company sought more time following a meeting with officials on July 2. There was no official word from WhatsApp on Thursday on the submission.

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Earlier in the day, IT Secretary S Krishnan, speaking on the sidelines of the CII GCC Business Summit, said WhatsApp's reply to the notice was due on Thursday. Asked whether Telegram and Signal had responded to notices sent to them on the username feature, he said, "There is still a little more time, so the replies have not yet been received.... We will examine this issue." 

However, media reports suggest that Telegram might have submitted its response to MeitY too.

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The username feature would allow users on WhatsApp to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. In its notice to WhatsApp on July 1, the government asked Meta to explain why action should not be initiated under the IT Act and rules over a feature it said may increase incidents of cyber crime. 

It also reminded the company that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is bound by due-diligence obligations under the law. MeitY sent similar notices to Telegram and Signal on July 3 over concerns that username-based messaging could raise the risk of impersonation, identity theft, phishing and digital fraud, and asked the platforms to explain the safeguards built into their username features.

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WhatsApp had earlier assured the government that it would not launch the feature in India until discussions were completed. A team from Meta met IT ministry officials last Friday after the notice summoned them, and the company had also sought additional time to file its response. The platform has about 50 crore users in India, while Telegram's reach is a fraction of that.