WhatsApp, Telegram And Signal: The Timeline Behind India's Questions About Usernames Feature

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three biggest instant messaging platforms, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, have come under the government scanner over a common feature called 'Usernames'. This feature allows users to connect without sharing their phone numbers. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has questioned how these platforms plan to prevent fraud, impersonation and cybercrime if users can communicate without revealing their phone numbers.The scrutiny began after WhatsApp announced its upcoming username and has now expanded to Telegram and Signal, turning a privacy-focused update into one of India’s biggest technology debates.

How It All Started

The issue picked up pace when WhatsApp announced that it would roll out usernames feature last month. In a post on X, the Meta-owned platform said, “Your phone number is personal and sometimes you want to connect without handing it over. That's why we're introducing usernames for WhatsApp. Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch the feature.”This update raised concerns that scammers may create usernames similar to those of trusted individuals and businesses to trick people.

Online Debate Quickly Followed

Soon after WhatsApp’s announcement, industry leaders began discussing the risks. KnotDating co-founder Jasveer Singh began comparing the feature with Telegram. He said, “WhatsApp just launched usernames. My first thought wasn't privacy - it was scams. The biggest reason I never used Telegram was because anyone could contact you without knowing your phone number. It became a paradise for scammers."Similarly, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also warned about the possibility of confusingly similar usernames. He said, “Soon you will have verified username on WhatsApp, and then unverified similar-sounding usernames... which in turn will…”While influencer and entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo said, “In a country such as India, this could be a disaster, if the right anti-abuse systems are not set up by WhatsApp. Imagine receiving a message from warikoo / awarikoo / ankurwarikooo / ankur_warikoo / a_warikoo / ankurwarikooofficial etc etc - soliciting money.”

Government Steps In

On June 3, MeitY had directed WhatsApp to pause the roll out of its username feature and explain why it was introducing the change. The government reportedly warned that failure to justify the feature within three days could invite regulatory actions. Speaking about the issue, S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said:"We have taken up the issue of using usernames because there is a serious possibility of impersonation and there is the kind of encouragement that facilitates committing cybercrime, which is a very serious issue. This is another dimension of the way that cybercrimes can be committed, which is the reason why we have directed WhatsApp to explain why they have this feature. Similarly, we have sought explanations from others."

Telegram And Signal Also Receive Notices

The government’s focus has also expanded beyond WhatsApp. As per ANI, Telegram and Signal were also asked to explain how they protect users from impersonation and misuse through features that allow users to communicate without revealing their phone numbers.

Zoho Also Changes Course

Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu also announced that Arattai, the company’s messaging app, would remove its username-based account feature. He wrote on X, “We will be disabling the user name based account feature in Arattai, to comply with the regulatory change. Thank you.”We at Times Now Tech spoke to technology lawyer Shweta Bansal to understand how the feature may impact the users.According to the tech lawyer, the public discussion has largely been focused on fake usernames and impersonation, but she believes the bigger concern is how the feature may affect India’s cybercrime investigation system. She highlighted, “The public debate around WhatsApp usernames is fixated on impersonation, fake 'awarikoo' accounts soliciting money. That concern is real but solvable. The deeper architectural problem is what this feature does to India's existing fraud investigation chain, and that problem is far more serious.”Bansal explained that India’s existing digital fraud investigation process starts with a victim reporting the scammer’s phone number. Authorities then trace the telecom subscriber, verify KYC records and identify the individual before registering an FR and taking legal action.She said, “India's entire digital fraud infrastructure works like this: victim reports a number → police trace the telecom subscriber → KYC documents yield a physical identity → FIR and arrest follow. Usernames break Step One. When a victim receives a scam message from "@sbibank_official," there is no phone number to report. The TRAI complaint system, cybercrime.gov.in, and every police FIR template in India are built around phone numbers, not alphanumeric strings. The investigation infrastructure collapses before it begins.Bansal believes that as India prepares for the rollout, the conversation should extend beyond impersonation and privacy concerns to whether existing cybercrime investigation systems can continue to function effectively in a username-based ecosystem.