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Meanwhile, the technology giant Meta assured the government that the feature will not roll out in India till all discussions are complete.
WhatsApp recently rolled out a username feature that will allow users to connect without sharing their phone numbers. (Source: Reuters)
The government granted technology giant and owner of WhatsApp messaging platform, Meta, three more days to submit its response to the concerns raised over its proposed ‘username’ feature.
Meanwhile, the technology giant assured the government that the feature will not roll out in India till all discussions are complete.
According to PTI, the popular messaging platform was granted three more days to submit its reply to the government notice on the username feature after it requested more time for submitting the response.
The new username feature rolled out by WhatsApp allows people on the messaging platform to connect with each other without sharing their phone numbers.
Centre Issues Notice To Meta Over Username Feature
The Centre issued a notice to Meta last Wednesday questioning its planned username feature on WhatsApp. The government had flagged concerns that this feature can materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks.
The government had directed WhatsApp to put the rollout of the new feature on a pause till all consultations regarding the concerns raised are completed “to the satisfaction of the Government”.
According to the PTI sources, WhatsApp has now been granted three more days to submit its reply to the IT Ministry. Earlier, it was given the deadline of Friday for the submission of the reply.
As per the source, the messaging platform has assured the government that the new feature will not be rolled out till all the discussions are complete.
After receiving the notice summoning them, a team from Meta met officials in the IT Ministry last Friday.
In the notice, the government had asked Meta to explain why they shouldn’t face any action under the IT Act and rules over the new feature of WhatsApp, which can increase cybercrimes.
The government also stated that WhatsApp, despite being a significant social media intermediary, is still bound by due diligence obligations under the IT Act and rules.
More details to follow soon.
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