India Weighs WhatsApp's Username Feature Amidst Privacy Concerns and Investigation Needs

India's government has extended the deadline for META's WhatsApp to respond to regulators' concerns about a planned username feature, pushing the reply date to July 9. The feature would let users connect through a unique handle beginning with the '@' symbol instead of sharing a phone number, and its rollout in India has been paused while the review continues, marking the second consecutive extension officials have granted the company on this issue as talks continue behind the scenes between Meta and Indian authorities over the feature's design and how far they are willing to compromise on the feature's design before any rollout proceeds.

WhatsApp's proposed usernames would function similarly to handles already used on Telegram, Signal, and X, letting people identify and message one another without exposing a phone number during the initial interaction. Meta has positioned the change as a privacy enhancement, arguing that reducing phone-number exposure protects users from unwanted contact and harassment, and the company says the feature will be optional and will include safeguards designed to limit impersonation and unsolicited contact once it eventually rolls out to the Indian market, though no firm launch date has been set.

Indian regulators have pushed back on that framing, warning that removing visible phone numbers from first-time interactions could make it easier for fraudsters to impersonate individuals, businesses, financial institutions, and government agencies. Officials have specifically flagged heightened risk of phishing, identity spoofing, and so-called 'digital arrest' scams, a fraud pattern that has become a growing enforcement priority in India in recent years. The rollout remains on hold in the country while the government evaluates Meta's justification for the change and weighs possible conditions on any eventual launch.

The extended deadline makes July 9 the next milestone in what looks increasingly like a broader regulatory test of how messaging platforms balance privacy-oriented features against fraud-prevention obligations in India, one of WhatsApp's largest markets by user count globally, with roughly 3 billion users worldwide on the platform. The review is unfolding alongside a separate MeitY notice to Meta this week over Instagram advertising content, adding to a period of heightened regulatory attention on the company's operations in India across multiple products and business lines, underscoring that the scrutiny extends well beyond a single product line.