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The Union Government has issued a notice to Meta regarding the roll-out of the "usernames" feature on WhatsApp in India, said sources on Wednesday.
Sources told ANI that the Government directed Meta to furnish a detailed explanation on the "usernames" feature within three days. The Government has further directed Meta not to roll out the "usernames" feature until consultation on the matter is over. The move comes after privacy concerns were raised about the latest feature rolled out by Meta for WhatsApp. According to Meta, a username is an optional unique identifier you can choose for your WhatsApp account. It starts with the @ symbol (for example, @Name123) and can be used by others to message or call a person, while keeping their phone number private. The username is different from the display name (the name that appears in your profile). The display name doesn't have to be unique, but the username does. According to Meta, people who don't have the persons' number saved will see their username instead by default. This includes when they participate in group chats, message someone directly, or make calls on WhatsApp. Their username always appears with an @ symbol in front. This makes it easy for others to tell the difference between their username, their display name, and their phone number. Meta says, Usernames are unique to each account. If the username a person want is already taken, they will need to choose a different one. Certain usernames are held for businesses, governments, or public figures and can't be claimed by others. Internet users and domain experts have raised certain privacy concerns as well as concerns on safety arguing that anyone can create a username. This could potentially permit cybercriminals to register handles that mimic others or even officials. According to government sources, authorities will look into the legal mechanisms available to potentially block the feature if required. "The government will look into WhatsApp's username feature over impersonation concerns. It will look into legal mechanisms to possibly block feature also the legality of WhatsApp's username feature," a source said. (ANI)
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