A notice was issued to the Meta-owned messaging platform last Wednesday, questioning WhatsApp's proposed username feature, as the government flagged concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.

India has asked Meta to halt the rollout of WhatsApp usernames over fraud and impersonation concerns. Experts weigh the trade-offs between privacy, safety and regulation.

WhatsApp seeks more time to respond to the government’s notice on its controversial ‘username’ feature, delaying its rollout in India.

WhatsApp responds to government concerns over its username feature, which may increase online fraud and impersonation risks.