The government is examining legal implications for WhatsApp and Telegram. This follows their replies to notices regarding the new username feature. Concerns about privacy and potential misuse have been raised by experts. Meta stated usernames are optional and allow messaging without sharing phone numbers. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is expected to issue a formal notification soon.

The Centre is evaluating responses from messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal to explore a standardized framework for username-based identities across apps.

The government has emphasised that any regulatory framework will apply uniformly across all platforms