The Indian government has ordered Meta to pause the rollout of its highly anticipated WhatsApp username feature, citing severe risks of impersonation, phishing, and “digital arrest” scams. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a formal notice directing the messaging giant to halt the feature until official consultations are completed.
The regulatory pushback follows widespread alarm after prominent figures—including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and MobiKwik CEO Bipin Preet Singh—reported that lookalike variations of their names appeared already taken during the testing phase.
In response, WhatsApp issued an updated FAQ to debunk rumors of handle-hijacking. “People are making false claims about reserving popular or well-known usernames — this isn’t true,” the platform stated, clarifying that high-profile handles, government entities, and verified Meta accounts have been strictly locked down so only legitimate owners can claim them.
While New Delhi reminds Meta of its legal due diligence obligations in its largest market of 500 million users, the digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has criticized the government’s intervention. The IFF argued that the ministry lacks the legal authority to pre-approve or block standard product features before their release.