Meta Platforms Inc.India's tech ministry asked Meta to delay WhatsApp's username feature over fraud concerns, threatening rollout in its largest market.

India has asked Meta Platforms to hold off on rolling out WhatsApp's new username feature, as officials worry it could fuel online fraud, phishing, scams and impersonation. WhatsApp this week began letting users reserve unique usernames, with plans for the feature to become operational later this year, aiming to eventually allow its 3 billion users to communicate without exchanging phone numbers. India's tech ministry reportedly sent Meta a notice directing the company to delay the rollout until further consultation, saying usernames may increase impersonation of individuals and state agencies. The regulatory pushback matters because India is WhatsApp's largest market, with more than 600 million users, making New Delhi a key battleground for Meta's global product strategy. Meta said WhatsApp has built several layers of protection into the username feature, including limits on how many new people an account can contact, blocks on repeated username-guessing attempts and systems to detect impersonation or abuse patterns.
Meta Platforms Inc.India's tech ministry asked Meta to delay WhatsApp's username feature over fraud concerns, threatening rollout in its largest market.