New Delhi

The Centre has served a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of WhatsApp's "usernames" feature in India, asking the company to submit a detailed explanation within three days, government sources said on Wednesday.

According to the sources, the government has also directed Meta not to introduce the feature in the country until the ongoing consultations are completed.

The action follows concerns raised by users and cybersecurity experts over the privacy and security implications of the new feature.

Meta has described usernames as an optional, unique identifier that begins with the "@" symbol and allows users to communicate on WhatsApp without sharing their phone numbers. The username is separate from a user's display name and must be unique to each account.

Under the feature, users who do not have someone's phone number saved will see the person's username instead during direct chats, group conversations and calls. Meta has also said that certain usernames are reserved for businesses, government entities and public figures, making them unavailable for public registration.

However, experts have cautioned that the feature could be exploited by cybercriminals to create usernames resembling those of individuals, organisations or government officials, potentially facilitating impersonation and online fraud.

Government sources said authorities are examining the legal and regulatory aspects of the feature and will assess whether legal provisions exist to restrict or block its rollout if necessary.

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"The government is examining WhatsApp's username feature in light of impersonation concerns. It will also explore the legal mechanisms available to regulate or, if required, block the feature, besides reviewing its legal validity," a government source said.