Government Seeks Answers Before Full Rollout

India’s electronics ministry has asked Meta to explain how its planned username system will stop fraud, phishing and impersonation. The concern is simple. A handle can protect a user’s phone number, but it may also hide a clue that victims and police use to identify suspicious accounts. Meta announced the system on June 29, 2026. Two days later, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sent the company a notice and asked for a detailed reply within three days. The ministry also asked Meta to delay the full launch in India until consultations finish. Username reservations remain open. The change matters because the app has more than three billion users worldwide and a large user base in India. Even a small weakness can affect millions of chats, business enquiries and payment requests. India needs privacy and traceability. The question is whether Meta can hide numbers from strangers without making fake identities harder to challenge.

What the New System Changes

Today, most people begin a chat by sharing a mobile number. The planned system will let users create a unique handle and give that to a new contact instead. The mobile number will remain linked to the account behind the scenes. It simply will not appear to the person receiving the first message when the user has enabled a handle. Meta says the feature will be optional. There will be no public directory and no list suggesting random accounts. A person will need the exact handle to start contact. Users can also create an optional key, which adds another check before an unknown person can message them. That is a real privacy gain. A home baker can answer a new customer without publishing a personal number. A student can join a project group without exposing the number connected to banking alerts and family accounts. A person selling an item online can speak to a buyer without sharing a contact detail used for years. The WhatsApp new feature also separates a public identity from a row of digits. That brings the service closer to other apps that already let people connect through handles. But the same design raises a problem. A handle that looks official may create trust before the recipient checks who is behind it.

Why Indian Officials Are Worried

India already faces digital arrest scams, fake police calls, parcel fraud and messages that copy banks or government departments. Criminals often depend on urgency. They tell victims to act before they have time to verify the story. A username can make that trick easier if it resembles a real designation. Hindustan Times reported that it reserved “@dcp.north,” a handle styled like a Delhi Police title, without receiving a block or warning. The test does not prove that every protected name can be taken. The phrase may sit outside the company’s formal list. It still shows why officials want clearer checks. Meta says it has held many high-profile names linked to public figures, celebrities, government bodies and verified accounts. It also says lookalike versions of known names are being restricted. The unanswered question is what happens to names that fall between obvious and harmless.

 A scammer may not use the exact name of a ministry. A small spelling change, district title or local police abbreviation may be enough to fool someone. Many Indians receive messages in Hindi, English and regional languages. A protected-name system must recognise all of them. The government’s WhatsApp notice also connects the issue with SIM binding. The Department of Telecommunications wants messaging accounts tied to physical SIM cards so investigators can trace them. Meta says that link will remain. A mobile number will still be required for registration and will remain available behind the handle. That answers part of the concern. It does not solve the delay between a fraud report and the moment police obtain the hidden account details. A victim sees only the handle. Police may then need to contact the company, complete the required process and wait for the information linked to that account. During that gap, a criminal may contact more people.

Privacy Still Has Clear Benefits

Phone numbers reveal more than many users realise. They may connect to UPI accounts, delivery services, job portals, school groups and social profiles. Once shared, they can be stored, forwarded or added to marketing lists. For people who deal with strangers, hiding the number is useful. Small businesses often begin with one personal SIM. Over time, that number reaches hundreds of customers. Tutors, freelancers, brokers and home-based sellers face the same problem. A handle gives them a public contact point without forcing them to buy another connection. Group chats may also become safer. Parents joining a school group or residents entering a housing society chat may not want every member to see their number. Women selling products online may also feel more comfortable speaking with new buyers when their personal numbers remain hidden. The privacy case is strong. The risk begins when users treat a polished handle as proof of identity. It is not. A name on a screen can be copied. So can a profile photograph, police emblem or bank logo. An official-looking account may still belong to a fraudster. A bank will not ask for a UPI PIN, OTP or card password in a chat. Police do not conduct a criminal trial through a video call. Government departments do not demand instant payments to “clear” a case. Users should pause, call the organisation through a number found on its official website and report suspicious accounts inside the app. A few minutes of checking can prevent a large financial loss.

What Meta Must Explain

The company now needs to answer practical questions. Will every reserved handle face another review before activation? How quickly will a disputed name be frozen? Can police receive basic account details faster during an active fraud case? Will the system warn users when a new account adopts a name similar to a bank, police unit or public office? Meta says it will use signals such as account age, shared groups, mutual contacts and location to give users more context. Those details may help, but warnings must be clear enough for an ordinary user to understand. A small grey label will not stop a frightened person who believes a police officer is demanding money. The company must also explain how safeguards will work across Indian languages and local titles. Fraud often succeeds because it looks familiar, not because it copies a famous national name exactly. A fake account may use the name of a local police station, electricity board, bank branch or courier office. Those names may not appear on a global protected list. Reporting must also be quick. If a user flags an impersonation account, the app should make the next steps clear. The person should not have to search through several menus while a scam is still active. The best result is not to cancel the feature. It is to launch it with stronger checks, faster reporting and clear cooperation with Indian authorities.

For The United Indian

Why This Matters

At The United Indian, we see a genuine privacy benefit and a genuine fraud risk. Users should not have to publish personal numbers to speak with a customer, classmate or new contact. They also need a reliable way to know whether an official-looking handle is genuine.

The Bigger Picture

A hidden number can protect ordinary people. A convincing fake handle can also protect a criminal for long enough to cause harm. The system must reduce both risks.

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