Government Delays Decision on WhatsApp Username Dispute Deadline, Sets New Target Date for July 9

Government Extends Deadline for WhatsApp Response on Controversial Username Feature

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly extended Meta's deadline for its response on the contentious WhatsApp username issue by another three days. According to a government official, the new deadline has been extended to July 9.

Earlier, government officials had sought a response from WhatsApp by July 6 regarding concerns over its new username feature. Sources had informed the Hindustan Times that this notice to Meta was issued after the government called for a detailed explanation regarding the feature. The government had also directed Meta not to roll out the feature in India until consultations on the matter are completed.

The WhatsApp username feature, recently announced by the Meta-owned platform, allows users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. The feature enables users to reserve their optional usernames by navigating to 'Settings', followed by 'Account' and 'Username' on the latest version of the app. Meta stated that a username is an optional unique identifier that can be chosen for a WhatsApp account. It starts with the '@' symbol and can be used by others to message or call a person, while keeping their phone number private.