India asks Meta to delay WhatsApp username rollout over fraud fears

By Lawrence Agbo
The Indian government has asked Meta to postpone the introduction of WhatsApp’s planned username feature, citing concerns that it could increase online fraud and make it easier for scammers to impersonate users.
According to reports, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology requested that the tech giant suspend the rollout until consultations on the feature are concluded.
The request follows Meta’s announcement that WhatsApp users would soon be able to communicate using unique usernames instead of sharing their phone numbers, a change aimed at improving user privacy.
However, Indian authorities fear the feature could be exploited by cybercriminal...