Centre issues notice to Meta over new WhatsApp feature, flags ‘fraud, phishing' concerns

THe regime on wed issued a mark to WhatsApp seeking a elaborate account of a newly announced feature, which allows users to reserve unique usernames and connect without sharing phone numbers, saying it would raise the risks of impersonation, identity theft and digital fraud on the Meta-owned messaging platform.WhatsApp should hold off from rolling out the feature until consultations on the matter were completed and furnish the explanation within three days, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology said in the notice, seen by HT.The company, which announced the feature as a major privacy upgrade on Monday, has started allowing users to reserve usernames.Also Read | How does WhatsApp's new username feature work? Here's how you can chat without phone numberA senior official at the ministry told HT that a consultation will be held soon with the platform to discuss the risks posed by the new feature.“It is felt that the feature may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims,” the notice said.“Furthermore, this feature may facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions,” it added.In its notice, the government asked WhatsApp to explain why action shouldn’t be initiated under the Information Technology Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021, and said the company is bound by due diligence obligations as a significant social media intermediary.Also Read | WhatsApp gets Indian boss: Meta picks Cred founder Kunal Shah, pumps $900 million into his company tooIn a statement on Wednesday, a WhatsApp spokesperson said it had built safeguards into the username feature to address the threat of impersonation.“To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well,” the spokesperson said, underlining that phone numbers are still required to use the platform.Other defences include requiring the exact username to initiate contact, limiting new outreach, and blocking automated guessing attempts.Additionally, WhatsApp will use systems to detect abuse patterns and provide context on new messengers — such as account age, shared contacts or groups, and location — to help users decide whether to respond, the spokesperson said.