India orders Meta to pause WhatsApp username rollout pending security review

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a formal notice to Meta demanding a detailed explanation of WhatsApp’s upcoming “username” feature and directing the company not to launch it in India until consultations are completed. The notice gave Meta three days to respond and cited concerns that the feature could increase online fraud, phishing, digital‑arrest scams and impersonation by allowing bad actors to contact victims without revealing phone numbers.

WhatsApp has said the feature is not yet live, will be rolled out gradually later in 2026, and that users can already reserve usernames. The company claims to have reserved high‑profile names – public figures, government entities and verified Meta accounts – and to have built anti‑abuse safeguards such as optional username keys, spam‑detection and limits on messages from new accounts. India, with more than 500 million WhatsApp users, views the rollout as a potential risk to consumer safety and law‑enforcement capability.