New Delhi, July 2 -- The Central government has asked Meta to pause the rollout of WhatsApp's upcoming username feature in India and explain how it will work. Meta has been given three days to respond, and the company has been told not to launch the feature in the country until discussions with the government are complete.

The government's notice comes amid growing concerns over privacy, impersonation, and the possible misuse of usernames for online fraud and scams.

What Is The WhatsApp Username Feature? WhatsApp is planning to let users create unique usernames, similar to those on Instagram or Telegram. The idea is simple: people will be able to chat with others without sharing their phone numbers. Meta says the feature is designed to ...