The Indian government has widened its review of username features in messaging apps by sending notices to Telegram and Signal one day after directing WhatsApp to halt its planned rollout. The Ministry of Electronics and IT asked the platforms to detail protections against fraud, impersonation and misuse that could arise when users communicate without sharing phone numbers. The move followed WhatsApp’s announcement of the feature, which seeks to boost privacy by substituting phone numbers with unique usernames for non-contact conversations. Authorities had previously instructed Meta to pause the feature in India and explain its necessity within three days, citing risks of anonymity enabling scams. Similar concerns now apply to Telegram and Signal. A WhatsApp representative stated the feature remains inactive and will launch gradually later this year, requiring phone registration plus exact username knowledge to start chats, with added safeguards such as contact limits and blocks on repeated guessing attempts.
