Username feature can fuel cybercrime, impersonation: IT Secretary on notices to WhatsApp, others

The Centre has sought explanations from WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal over their username feature, with IT Secretary S Krishnan on Friday warning that it poses a “serious” risk of impersonation and cybercrime. The government has asked the platforms to justify the feature, which allows users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers.

The government’s concerns come days after Meta-owned WhatsApp announced plans to roll out the username feature in India. The Centre subsequently served a notice asking why action should not be initiated under the IT Act and related rules.