Noting that WhatsApp is a “significant social media intermediary” under the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021, the ministry invoked Section 79 read with the due-diligence framework, Rules 3 and 4, including the first-originator traceability requirement, and Sections 66C and 66D, which penalise identity theft and cheating by personation. WhatsApp has been directed “to furnish a detailed explanation, supported by relevant documents… within three days,” and told “not to roll out this feature until the consultation on this point is achieved to the satisfaction of the Government”. The notice adds that it issues “with the approval of the Competent Authority,” and without prejudice to any further action by the government or law enforcement agencies.“The new WhatsApp username feature is a matter of concern, as it has implications for digital security and could facilitate online fraud. We are examining it, and if required, we may even send a notice to the company,” a senior government official had told ThePrint earlier in the day.WhatsApp this week began letting users reserve a username, ahead of a full rollout expected later this year. Once the feature goes live, a WhatsApp user will be able to message another on the platform without sharing their phone number. The Meta-owned platform in a blog post announcing the feature Monday said the idea is to let people talk without handing over personal details. “Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits”.The pitch lands differently in India, where a phone number is linked to a bank account, a UPI ID, an Aadhaar and much else, and cannot be pulled back once shared. Women have long complained that one WhatsApp chat with a stranger turns into unwanted calls and texts that a block does not stop. But the timing is awkward. The feature comes barely 10 days after the Centre temporarily blocked Telegram, over the same questions a username now raises: how anonymous a messaging app should let people be, and how easily police can trace users when something goes wrong. Lawyers, industry experts and law enforcement agencies are reading the proposed feature in very different ways.