India eyes uniform standards for messaging apps after WhatsApp username row

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is moving to establish uniform standards for messaging platforms operating within the country. This initiative comes as the ministry formally opposes WhatsApp's planned username feature, expressing significant concerns about its potential to facilitate impersonation, online fraud, and digital arrest scams.

Government officials familiar with the matter stated that the proposed username feature could complicate investigations by law enforcement agencies. Given WhatsApp's massive user base in India, the introduction of usernames is seen as a potential security risk. The ministry's push for common standards aims to close a newly identified regulatory gap, preventing situations where one platform's feature is restricted while rivals offer similar functionalities without explicit rules.

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We are not in favour of WhatsApp introducing this feature. Given its massive user base in India, usernames could make impersonation, digital arrest scams, online fraud and even investigations by law enforcement more difficult.

"We are also looking at bringing in common standards for messaging platforms so there is legal backing for such decisions," an official explained. "It cannot be that we stop one platform from rolling out a feature while allowing others to continue offering the same thing. The rules have to be uniform for everyone."

This development follows WhatsApp and Telegram submitting their responses to Meity's notices regarding their username features. While WhatsApp framed its feature as a privacy tool allowing users to connect without sharing phone numbers, the Indian government views it with suspicion. MeitY is examining the responses, with Signal yet to submit its reply. The ministry intends to discuss these proposed common standards with all messaging platforms before finalizing any decisions, aiming to create a consistent regulatory environment for digital communication services in India.

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We are also looking at bringing in common standards for messaging platforms so there is legal backing for such decisions. It cannot be that we stop one platform from rolling out a feature while allowing others to continue offering the same thing. The rules have to be uniform for everyone.