India orders WhatsApp to pause username rollout over fraud fears

India has ordered WhatsApp to halt its username rollout in the country until consultations are complete, putting a privacy feature at the center of a fight over fraud, identity and state oversight. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also gave the company three days to explain why the feature should be allowed to proceed.

WhatsApp began phasing in usernames globally earlier this week, pitching the change as a more private way to chat because people would no longer need to share a phone number to make first contact. The company says there is no directory to browse and no suggestions for usernames, meaning a user must know the exact handle to reach someone, and it has added an optional username key that another person needs before messaging.

Indian officials were not persuaded. The government letter warned that anonymous contact could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, especially if bad actors can reach victims without revealing a phone number. The concern is not theoretical in India, where messaging apps sit at the center of everyday communication and scams have become a major enforcement issue.

The stakes are unusually high because India is WhatsApp’s biggest market, with more than 500 million users. That scale gives New Delhi unusual leverage over how Meta designs identity features for one of the world’s most important messaging markets, and it makes the dispute larger than a single product launch. India also sent notices to Telegram and Signal over concerns that username tools could be used for impersonation and misuse.

Meta has tried to frame the rollout as tightly controlled. It said some creators, small businesses and organizations may be able to claim an existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp, a move that would align identities across its apps. The company also said it had reserved usernames for public figures, government entities and verified Meta accounts to reduce impersonation.

The clash comes as Meta has publicly emphasized its anti-scam work. In March 2026, Meta said it launched new anti-scam tools across WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, and that in 2025 it removed more than 159 million scam ads globally and in India. It also introduced stricter WhatsApp account protections in January 2026 aimed at people likely to face sophisticated cyberattacks, including journalists and public figures.

Digital rights groups have criticized India’s directive as overreach and questioned its legal grounding. For WhatsApp, the fight now is not just whether usernames are useful, but whether a privacy-forward design can survive in a market where the government is determined to keep a firmer hand on verification, traceability and abuse prevention.