WhatsApp has submitted its official response to the Indian government regarding the notification it received about the upcoming “Usernames” feature, which allows users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is reviewing WhatsApp’s response before making a decision on whether to allow the feature to be launched in the country.

Last week, the ministry sent an official notification to WhatsApp expressing concerns that the new feature could increase instances of cyber fraud, phishing attempts, identity theft, and digital “arrests”. The government also requested that the company not launch the service in India until sufficient security assurances were provided.

WhatsApp had previously asked for more time to respond, confirming it would not introduce the feature in India until discussions with authorities concluded. Sources reported that MeitY has received WhatsApp’s official response and is studying it. The company declined to disclose details of its response.

This comes after representatives from Meta met with ministry officials last week to discuss how the new feature would be implemented. The government is still awaiting similar responses from Telegram and Signal, which also received similar notifications.

The government has requested WhatsApp to clarify why it is not subject to action under the Indian Information Technology Act, given concerns that the feature could be exploited in cybercrimes. The company was reminded that it is classified as a "significant social media platform" in India, which imposes additional obligations related to user protection and abuse prevention.

WhatsApp confirmed that the feature has not yet been launched and will only become available gradually this year after consultations with the government. It also clarified that usernames would not eliminate the need for a phone number to create an account, but rather would be an additional means of communication.

The company added that it has taken several measures to mitigate the risk of identity theft, including reserving usernames for public figures, celebrities, government entities, and verified Meta accounts, preventing the use of similar names, and not providing a general search directory for usernames. This ensures that one can only contact someone if their name is already known.

WhatsApp also indicated that it will impose restrictions on the number of messages that can be sent to new contacts, monitor repeated attempts to guess usernames, and use systems to detect patterns of abuse early.

The company explained that it will provide users with additional information when receiving the first message from an unknown username, such as whether the account is newly created, exists in contacts, is a member of a shared group, or is registered in another country, which helps the user decide whether to respond.

The government review does not only apply to WhatsApp. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued similar notifications to Telegram and Signal to explain the protection mechanisms adopted in their username systems. This comes at a time when Meta and Telegram are facing additional regulatory scrutiny in India regarding issues related to illegal content and user protection.