The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) on Thursday received a response from WhatsApp regarding the platform’s upcoming username feature, an official said without divulging details of the response.
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The deadline for submitting the response had ended on Thursday. The ministry had granted WhatsApp a four-day extension after the company sought additional time following a meeting with officials on July 2. Telegram also submitted its response to MeitY’s notice on Thursday, people aware of the matter said. Signal did not respond to HT’s email.
MeitY had 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. The platforms were asked to explain the safeguards built into their username features.
Also Read: How does WhatsApp’s new username feature work? Here’s how you can chat without phone number
‘Will ban accounts’: Meta tells HT
Responding to HT’s queries, a Meta spokesperson outlined additional safeguards that it said have been built into the feature to address impersonation and fraud concerns. “We’ll ban accounts or revoke usernames when we find evidence of identity impersonation or scam,” they said.
The company said existing Facebook and Instagram usernames will be reserved for their owners during the reservation period, while usernames of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts, along with certain lookalike variations, will only be available to their legitimate owners.
