India Reviews WhatsApp's Username Feature
India's government reviews WhatsApp's username feature over concerns of impersonation and scams, with Meta pushing back and Arattai disabling its similar feature
Key points
- India's IT Secretary S. Krishnan is reviewing responses from messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, on their username feature
- The government has concerns that WhatsApp's username feature could be used for impersonation and scams
- Meta has pushed back on these concerns, citing a PIN safeguard and automatic blocking of users who send too many stranger messages
- Arattai, a WhatsApp competitor, has disabled its username feature during the review
- The review also covers Meta's response to child sexual abuse material on its platforms, with Meta saying it is in a constant battle with criminals
The Indian government has begun a review of messaging platforms' response to notices sent over their username features. The review, which is expected to take around a week, comes after concerns were raised that these features could be used for impersonation and scams. WhatsApp's username feature, which allows users to be contacted without sharing a phone number, is a key focus of the review. Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, has pushed back on these concerns, saying that the feature will be rolled out with a PIN safeguard and that users who send too many stranger messages will be automatically blocked. Meanwhile, Arattai, a WhatsApp competitor owned by Zoho Corp., has disabled its username feature during the review. The review also covers Meta's response to child sexual abuse material on its platforms, with Meta saying that it has deployed technology to detect such material but is in a constant battle with criminals who try to evade detection.
Sources
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