Tech giant Meta as promised submitted a detailed response over its proposed “username” feature, and the submission is currently being examined by officials. The move followed the latest notice issued by the Ministry of Information on Technology over the recently introduced ‘username feature’ of WhatsApp in which it cited significant risks of online fraud, phishing, digital-arrest scams and impersonation. It had also directed the company not to roll out the feature until consultations were completed to its satisfaction.
The tech firm had sought additional time to respond and assured authorities it would not launch the feature in India before discussions concluded.
Speaking on notices issued to Telegram and Signal over their existing username-based messaging systems, IT Secretary S. Krishnan added that Telegram and Signal who were also issued a similar notice like WhatsApp had been given additional time and their replies were still awaited.
WhatsApp has maintained that the username feature has not yet been launched and will be rolled out gradually later this year. The company has also outlined several safeguards that it says are designed to reduce misuse.
In its explanation regarding the feature it said that usernames linked to public figures, government organisations, celebrities and verified Meta accounts have been reserved to prevent impersonation. The company also said users will continue to require a phone number to create and use a WhatsApp account. In context of abuse, the tech officials revealed that would need to to know the exact username before initiating a conversation. It also plans to limit the number of new contacts an account can message, restrict repeated attempts to guess usernames and use automated systems to detect suspicious activity.
Besides, first-time messages sent through usernames will include indicators showing whether the sender is a new account, an existing contact, a member of a mutual group or is messaging from another country, sources familiar in the matter added. WhatsApp says these indicators are intended to help users make informed decisions before responding.