The Centre has issued a notice to Meta Platforms, the owner of WhatsApp, over the messaging application's upcoming "usernames" feature that has triggered concerns related to impersonation.
Meta has been asked by the government to furnish a detailed explanation on the feature's rollout "within three days", NDTV Profit learnt from sources privy to the development.
The company has been asked not to enable the update for users in India till the consultation on the matter is completed, the sources added.
ALSO READ: New WhatsApp Update Will Let Users Hide Their Phone Numbers, Go By Usernames Instead
Earlier on Wednesday, sources said the government was set to examine WhatsApp's username feature over impersonation concerns. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will look into the legal mechanisms to possibly block this feature, the persons privy to the development had said.
This comes after experts pointed out that the new WhatsApp tool could be misused in India, where online scammers may impersonate identities to defraud individuals.
The government will look into the legality of the functionality that allows a person to hide their phone number on the messaging platform, the sources said. If it is found to be risk-prone, then the government can send a legal notice to Meta, they added.
ALSO READ: 'Disaster In India': Ankur Warikoo Warns WhatsApp Usernames Can Fuel Impersonation Scams
WhatsApp, in a statement on Monday, said the new measure is a privacy-focussed upgrade that will allow users to start conversations with a name of their choice, without disclosing their phone numbers. The feature would be optional for the three billion-plus WhatsApp users, and will be rolled out globally in phases over the next few months.
WhatsApp further noted that it will introduce fresh privacy settings, permitting users to choose who can contact them using their username.
A number of the application users have, over the past two days, received notifications regarding the new feature. Those interested have been asked by WhatsApp to begin reserving their usernames before the feature is rolled out to all users.
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