The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Thursday received a response from WhatsApp regarding the platform’s upcoming username feature, an official said, without revealing details of the response.
The deadline for submitting a response expired on Thursday. The ministry granted WhatsApp a four-day extension after the company requested additional time following a meeting with officials on July 2. Telegram also filed its response to MeitY’s notice on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said. Signal did not respond to HT’s email.
MeitY issued notices to WhatsApp on July 1, and to Telegram and Signal on July 3 over concerns that username-based messaging could increase the risks of impersonation, identity theft, phishing, and digital fraud. Platforms were asked to explain the safeguards included in their username features.
Read also: How does the new username feature work in WhatsApp? Here’s how to chat without a phone number
‘We will ban the accounts’: Meta tells HT
In response to HT’s queries, a Meta spokesperson explained additional safeguards that it said had been included in the feature to address impersonation and fraud concerns. “We will ban accounts or remove usernames when we find evidence of impersonation or fraud,” they said.
The company said that existing Facebook and Instagram usernames will be reserved for their owners during the reservation period, while usernames for public figures, government bodies, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts, along with some similar variations, will only be available to their legitimate owners.
