The Government of India requested Meta to provide a detailed description of whatsApp ' s newly introduced user name functionality and to suspend the advance of the offline arrangement until the issue was resolved. In the view of regulators, this design may make it easier for fraudsters to reach potential victims, thereby pushing up cyber-fraud, fishing and counterfeiting cases.

India asked for a statement within three days.

According to the Indian media, ANI, the Government of India has requested whatsApp to submit within three days a detailed explanation of the user name function, otherwise action may be taken in accordance with the country ' s IT regulatory rules. At the same time, the Supervisory Authority has requested that the introduction of this function be suspended until the relevant doubts have been resolved.

WhatsApp introduced the user name function on Monday, stating that its purpose was to keep users in contact without a cell phone. Meta subsequently indicated that the functionality was currently not officially online and was planned to be rolled out in stages later this year.

Meta claims to have multiple protection.

Meta indicated to CNBC that whatsApp still requires users to register with mobile phone numbers and that user names do not replace this underlying mechanism. According to the company, multiple layers of protection around this function have been put in place, including limiting the number of new users that the account can reach, discouraging repeated speculation about user names and identifying and removing common posing and misuse patterns.

  • Limit the number of new users the account can reach
  • Stops repeated attempts to guess users First Name
  • Identification and clearance of fraudulent and abusive behaviour

Internet fraud pressure in India is on the rise.

The research institute Verisk Maplecroft, Director of Asian Studies Reema Bhattacharya, stated that while privacy remained part of the policy discussion, the focus of regulation was clearly shifting to security as cyber-finance crime rose rapidly.

Meta ' s report on confrontational threats, released in March this year, mentions India as one of the markets it most frequently targets, with the exception of the United States. According to the Government of India, cybercrime cases were close to 2.3 million in 2024, a marked increase from 1 million in 2022.

  • WhatsApp users in India exceed 500 million
  • There were nearly 2.3 million cybercrime cases in 2024.
  • Meta is required to submit a statement within 3 days

According to analysts, whatsapp has a very high penetration rate in India, which makes any new function more subject to government scrutiny. Meta stated that some high-profile names would be retained to allow only legitimate holders to apply for them; variants similar to well-known names would also be restricted to reduce the risk of posing.

Additional information:This review follows the recent strengthening of platform governance in India. Several weeks ago, in India, a temporary ban on Telegram was imposed on the risk of test fraud, alleging that the channel in question claimed costs from the candidates and their families for leaking the title of the test.