MeitY yet to receive Meta's response on WhatsApp usernames as deadline ends today

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has not yet received Meta's response to its notice over WhatsApp's proposed username feature, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday, even as the extended deadline for the company to respond expires later in the day.Speaking to media on the sidelines of the CII Business Summit in New Delhi, Krishnan said the government would take a call on the matter after examining Meta's response."We have not received the response to the notice yet. There is still a little more time. Today is the last date in the reply stage. There are two issues. One is the username issue, because that is something that we sent to the other agencies as well. Today's the last date for that. The other issue is on the CSAM issue, for which also a separate notice has been issued," Krishnan said.The remarks come as the Centre awaits Meta's explanation for WhatsApp's proposed username feature, which would allow users to connect using unique usernames instead of mobile phone numbers.The government has asked the company to pause the rollout of the feature in India until consultations are completed, citing concerns that it could facilitate online fraud, phishing attacks, impersonation and so-called "digital arrest" scams.The original deadline for Meta's response expired last week, but the government subsequently extended it until July 9 after company representatives met officials from the ministry. Government officials had earlier said WhatsApp had assured the Centre that it would not roll out the feature in India until discussions with the government were concluded.The notice reportedly also asked Meta to explain why action should not be initiated under the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules if the feature is found to increase cybercrime risks.Officials have also reminded WhatsApp that it continues to be subject to due diligence obligations as a Significant Social Media Intermediary under India's IT rules.WhatsApp has maintained that the username feature remains under development and will be introduced gradually later this year. The company has said users will still require a phone number to create an account and that it is building multiple safeguards, including reserving usernames linked to public figures, government entities and verified Meta accounts, restricting unsolicited messages, limiting repeated username guesses and deploying systems to detect suspicious activity.With the response deadline ending on Thursday, the government's next move is expected to depend on whether Meta's explanation adequately addresses its concerns over user safety and cyber fraud.