New Delhi, July 1 -- The Centre has issued a notice to Meta regarding the roll-out of the "usernames" feature on WhatsApp in India, stating that it may increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, and digital arrest scams.

The Centre expressed concern, saying that the "usernames" feature may enable "impersonation and identity spoofing," and asked Meta to furnish a detailed explanation within three days.

The notice stated, "It is felt that the feature may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims. Furthermore, this feature may facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, ...