Meta Team Meets Govt Officials on User Name Issue

New Delhi

Following a government notice to WhatsApp over the contentious issue of the ‘username’ feature in India, a team from Meta met officials in the IT ministry on Friday. Given that the timeline for furnishing a detailed explanation on the usernames feature is three days, Meta will submit its final reply as per the schedule, according to the sources.

Citing concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks, the government strictly directed WhatsApp, saying that the Meta-owned messaging platform should meet the deadline and explain the features they planned. It also directed the platform to pause the feature until consultations on the issue are completed to the satisfaction of the government.

The Centre had also asked Meta to explain why action shouldn’t be initiated under the IT law over WhatsApp's new feature that may increase cyber crimes. The government also reminded Meta that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, is bound by due diligence obligations under the IT Act and rules.

Meanwhile, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials in his ministry to summon Meta over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material. The ministry will seek an explanation from Meta on the issue, the sources said on Friday. This is the second instance this week when the government has turned up the heat on Meta.