The government is worried about the username feature that if this feature is introduced, it may increase incidents like cyber crimes. According to sources, after responding to the notice of the central government regarding the ‘username’ feature, the government is now examining the legal aspects and possible provisions to impose restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram. A formal notification is expected from the government.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent a notice to Meta. WhatsApp Had sought detailed information about the proposed username feature. The government had asked the company to halt the rollout of this feature in India until negotiations were completed due to privacy and security concerns. Amidst the investigation of the username feature, the Center had also sent a notice to Telegram after Meta.
According to the Economic Times, sources said that in early July, representatives of Metra had met MeitY officials to discuss the government’s concerns over the feature. During the meeting, ministry officials raised concerns related to privacy, security and potential for misuse. The proposed username feature has raised concerns among internet users and cyber security experts, who fear that it could allow cyber criminals to impersonate individuals, organizations or government officials by creating usernames that increase the risk of fraud.
What does Meta say?
According to Meta, a username is an optional and unique identifier that users can choose for their WhatsApp account. Starting with the @ symbol, it will allow users to message or call without sharing their phone number. The company said that usernames are different from display names, which appear on user profiles, and they are not required to be unique. However, the username is unique for each account. Meta also said that users who do not have a person’s phone number will see the user’s name by default during direct messages, calls and group chats. It says that some usernames will be reserved for business, government and celebrities and others cannot claim them.
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