New Delhi, July 2 -- Days after the announcement of Indian fintech entrepreneur Kunal Shah as its new global head, Meta-owned WhatsApp has found itself entangled in a major controversy, which the instant messaging platform may not have seen coming. WhatsApp's move to introduce usernames, which users can use instead of their registered mobile numbers for communication, has run afoul of the government and cybersecurity experts in its biggest market.

Even before the rollout began, the Indian government asked WhatsApp to freeze the process until consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government". It has also directed Meta to furnish a detailed explanation on the username feature, backed by relevant documents, wi...