New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): A delegation from Meta met with officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Friday after receiving an official notice summoning the tech company over WhatsApp’s proposed ‘username’ feature in India. According to sources familiar with the matter, the ministry used the meeting to sensitise the Meta team regarding the central government’s sharp concerns over the rollout. Meta is expected to submit its final, detailed response within the stipulated three-day deadline.
The central government issued the notice on Wednesday, raising significant alarms that introducing usernames on WhatsApp could materially escalate cybercrimes, including online fraud, phishing, impersonation attacks, and digital arrest scams. Due to these potential risks, MeitY directed the social media giant to pause any implementation of the feature until extensive consultations are concluded to the full satisfaction of the government.
Furthermore, the IT Ministry has questioned Meta as to why administrative or legal action should not be initiated against the platform under the Information Technology Act and its corresponding rules for introducing a feature that could compromise user safety. Meta’s upcoming final submission will address these specific security queries as the government seeks to curb the rising tide of digital financial crimes in the country.
