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- Govt Extends WhatsApp Username Reply Deadline To July 9 | Online Fraud Risk
New Delhi36 minutes ago
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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has extended by three days the deadline for Meta to respond on the controversial username feature of WhatsApp. A government official said on Sunday that now the company will have to submit its reply by July 9. Earlier, the government had sought a reply from WhatsApp in this matter by July 6.
According to government sources, this notice was issued to Meta when the government demanded detailed explanation regarding this new feature. Along with this, the government has given strict instructions to Meta that this feature should not be rolled out (launched) in India until the process of negotiation and consultation on this entire matter is completed.
What is WhatsApp’s username feature?
Meta-owned platform WhatsApp had recently announced a new username feature. With the help of this feature, users will be able to talk to others even without sharing their phone number. This will act as an optional unique identifier for users.
This username will always start with ‘@’ symbol, like- @Name123. Using this, other people will be able to message or call you and your phone number will remain completely private. This username will be different from the display name that appears on your profile. The display name may be the same, but the username will be unique for each account.
This is how this new system will work in the app
In the latest version of WhatsApp, users can reserve a username of their choice by going to ‘Settings’, then ‘Account’ and then ‘Username’. People who don’t have your phone number saved will see your username by default during group chats, direct messages, or calls.
According to Meta, if the username of your choice is already taken by someone, you will have to choose another name. Additionally, certain usernames are reserved for businesses, governments, or public figures, which cannot be claimed by any other person.
What problem does the government have with this feature?
The ministry has warned that this new feature of WhatsApp can promote incidents of fraud, online scams and impersonation. The government believes that after the feature is enabled, the user’s phone number will not be visible to the first-time contact person, which will make it difficult to identify criminals.
The Ministry has clearly stated in its notice sent on July 1 that with the introduction of this feature, cases of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scam and impersonation attacks may increase significantly. This will make it easier for criminals with ill intentions to find victims and send messages to them.
Apart from this, this feature will also make it easier to steal identity. Criminals can easily target people by having usernames similar to common people, government officials, financial institutions and government agencies.
username vs display name
The display name can be changed and may be the same for multiple people, but the username will always be unique (universal).
secure username
No common user will be able to book usernames of government, business and VIP people, so that fraud can be prevented.
Read this news also…
Notice to Telegram after WhatsApp on username feature: Government asked – What steps are being taken to stop this from the danger of cyber crimes?
After WhatsApp, the Central Government has also sent a notice to social media platforms Telegram and Signal on Thursday regarding the username feature. The government has asked what steps are being taken to stop online fraud, fake identities and cyber crimes through the username feature. Read the full news…
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